History of Bergskraft
Mining have been conducted in Sweden for more than thousand years and was hundreds of years ago the major source of income for Bergslagen. During the postwar period the mining industry decreased dramatically. Of the more than 10 500 known mines only a few remained in production in the late 1900s.
However, due to the increasing global demand for metals the conditions for mining in recent years has drastically changed. As a result of these positive developments, Bergslagen recieved new attention. In 2003 Ljusnarsberg municipality sowed the first seeds for what later became projects Bergskraft (2005-2007) and Bergskraft Bergslagen (2008-2010), two joint projects in which several municipalities, organizations and businesses joined together to revive the mining industry in Bergslagen. In January 2011 the three-year project Bergskraft 11•13 started, a take-off from the solid platform that had been built during previous project periods, with a focus on regional growth and creation of jobs.
Today Bergskraft activities are organized in Bergskraft Bergslagen Economic Association and Bergskraft Bergslagen AB.
Bergskraft Bergslagen Economic Association is open for both individual and corporate memberships. In 2019 the association has 29 members comprised of individual members as well as municipalities and companies, all with the joint interest to promote sustainable development in mining and mining related activities and services in the Bergslagen region.
Bergskraft Bergslagen AB provides services related to mining, as consultation on geology, exploration and environment along with inventories, drill core handling and analytical services. We work with mine water treatment and mine waste, with a special focus on old mining sites (abandoned sites) with oxidized waste rock.