Norway will spend over 300 million USD to build a research station in Antarctica
The government is considering spending over 300 million USD on a new research station in Antarctica. The old Troll station is 32 years old and will be demolished.
In 2020, the Norwegian Polar Institute determined that a major upgrade was needed. Now the plan is to build a completely new station.
Led by the Minister of Climate and Environment, Espen Barth Eide (Labour Party), and three state secretaries, a large Norwegian delegation of more than 30 people came to the Troll research station last week to assess the project.
“We are here now to familiarise ourselves with the conditions, and assess which concept will be the best solution. When we build a new station, it will be here for many years, in a tough Antarctic environment,” Eide tells the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation NRK (link in Norwegian).
In addition to ministers and state secretaries, there are also advisers and ministerial councils in the group from the government, as well as chief executives and employees of a number of research institutes such as The Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU), The Norwegian Space Agency, The Research Council of Norway and The Norwegian Polar Institute.
It is the Ministry of Climate and Environment that has commissioned Statsbygg, The Norwegian Directorate of Public Construction and Property, to find solutions to upgrade Troll. Now the question is which option to choose. This will be decided during 2023.
“We have made four different proposals that vary in price from 100 to 300 million USD. The two most relevant options will come at the price of 200 and 300 million. They will provide space for either 65 or 100 people. The latter is more than double compared to what is available today,” the managing director of Statsbygg, Harald Nikolaisen, says.
Troll is the base for all Norwegian research in Antarctica. Six people spend the winter here and are responsible for running the station during the winter season. In the summer, from November to February, there are up to 45 people on Troll.
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