Orkla Mining Company Ltd. (Norwegian: Orkla Grube-Aktiebolag) was a Norwegian mining company established in 1904. The company was the largest mining company in Norway in the aftermath of World War I, and was among the world's largest pyrite producers. After closing of the mining operations in 1987, the company developed into the holding company Orkla ASA, which is among the largest companies at Oslo Stock Exchange. [1]
Orkla Mining Co. Ltd. was established as a limited company at a constituting meeting in Stockholm on 7 December 1904. The purpose of the company was to acquire mines in the Orkdalen district in Sør-Trøndelag and subsequently start operations. The share capital was applied for the acquirement of several mines from Christian Salvesen, including Løkken Verk, Åmot gruve, Høidal gruve and Dragset Verk as well various properties at Orkanger and elsewhere in Orkdalen. Christian Salvesen together with Wilhelm August Thams had started Ørkedalens Mining in Meldal in 1867. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
The company bought a significant amount of shares of the company Chr. Salvesen & Chr. Thams's Communications Aktieselskab, whose purpose was to develop the infrastructure of the area and was responsible for electricity production and railway operation for Løkken Mine. [7] In 1913, Swedish banker Marcus Wallenberg, Sr. became Chairman of the Board of Directors. [8] [9]
Following a period of exploration mining at the Løkken Mine, large-scale mining of pyrites was initiated. The mining community Løkken Verk was developed in Meldal and the Thamshavn Line (Thamshavnbanen) was constructed for transport of ore to the sea for export. [10] In 1931, a smelting plant (now Elkem Thamshavn) at the port of Thamshavn started operations, based on the sulphur extraction process developed by Orkla. [11] The Orkla Mining Company was the largest mining company in Norway in the interwar years, and among the world's largest pyrite producers. [12] After the closing of mining operations at Løkken Mine in 1987, the company developed into the holding company Orkla Group. [13] [12]
Orkdal is a former municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2020 when it joined Orkland Municipality. It was part of the Orkdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality was the city of Orkanger. Some of the notable villages in the municipality included Kjøra, Geitastrand, Gjølme, Thamshavn, Fannrem, Vormstad, Svorkmo, and Hoston.
Meldal is a former municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2020 when it joined Orkland Municipality. It was part of the Orkdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Meldal. Other villages included Løkken Verk, Bjørnli, Å, and Storås.
Elkem is a company that produces silicones, silicon, alloys for the foundry industry, carbon and microsilica.
Orkla ASA is a Norwegian conglomerate operating in the Nordic region, Eastern Europe, Asia and the US. At present, Orkla operates in the branded consumer goods, aluminium solutions and financial investment sectors. The company's strategic focus is on growth in its branded consumer goods operations. Orkla ASA is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange and its head office is in Oslo, Norway. As of 31 December 2018, Orkla had 18,510 employees. The Group’s turnover in 2018 totalled NOK 40.8 billion.
Christian Salvesen was a Scottish whaling, transport and logistics company with a long and varied history, employing 13,000 staff and operating in seven countries in western Europe. In December 2007, it was acquired by French listed transport group Norbert Dentressangle.
The Thamshavn Line was Norway's first electric railway, running from 1908 to 1974 in what is now Trøndelag county. Today it is operated as a heritage railway and is the world's oldest railway running on its original alternating current electrification scheme, using 6.6 kV 25 Hz AC. It was built to transport pyrites from the mines at Løkken Verk to the port at Thamshavn, as well as passengers. There were six stations: Thamshavn, Orkanger, Bårdshaug, Fannrem, Solbusøy and Svorkmo. The tracks were extended to Løkken Verk in 1910.
Christian Thams was a Norwegian architect, industrialist, businessman and diplomat.
The Thamshavn Line sabotage was a series of sabotages against the railway Thamshavn Line in Orkdal, Norway during World War II. There were four separate sabotages, all performed by Company Linge in an attempt by the Norwegian resistance to prevent Germany from getting the pyrites that were being extracted at the mine at Løkken Verk.
SS Orkla was a steam ship of 250 tons that operated the line between Thamshavn in Orkdal and Trondheim in the Trondheim Fjord in Norway between 1908 and 1949. It was built at Trondheims Mekaniske Verksted in Trondheim and went into operation at the same time as the railway line Thamshavn Line opened between Thamshavn and Løkken Verk. It operated two round trips each day and was owned by Chr. Salvesen & Chr. Thams's Communications Aktieselskab, who also owned the railway.
Løkken Verk is a village in the municipality of Orkland in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south of the village of Svorkmo, 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) east of the village of Bjørnli, and 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of the municipal center of Meldal.
Elkem Thamshavn is a smelting plant owned by Elkem located at Thamshavn just north of Orkanger in Orkland Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The plant produces silicon and microsilica and was started in 1931.
Thamshavn or Thamshamn is a small port village in the municipality of Orkland in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is the site of the port for the town of Orkanger and the ferrosilicon plant Elkem Thamshavn. It is located right along European route E39 and is the Thamshavn Station was the terminus of the Thamshavnbanen railway.
Chr. Salvesen & Chr. Thams's Communications Aktieselskab, Salvesen & Thams, Comms. AS or S&T is a Norwegian company based at Løkken Verk in Meldal that was responsible for electricity production and railway operation for Løkken Mine operated by the Orkla Mining Company. After the mine closed in 1987 it has been turned into a development company to try to create new jobs at Løkken.
Peter Vogelius Deinboll, DSO, MC was a Norwegian engineer, and resistance member during World War II.
Torfinn Bjørnaas was a Norwegian resistance member.
The Løkken Mine is an underground pyrite mine located in the municipality of Meldal in Sør-Trøndelag, Norway. The mine was operative from 1654 to 1987, from the mining community Løkken Verk. It contained the largest deposits of its kind in Norway. Between 1654 and 1845, a total of 11,300 tons of copper was produced from the mine. From 1904 the mine was run by the company Orkla Grube-Aktiebolag, and until 1987 a total of 24 million tons of pyrite was produced from the mine. In addition to sulphur, the pyrite contained about 2% copper, in addition to zinc and traces of silver and gold. The products were originally transported to the sea by horse and sledge during winter time. From 1908 the ore was transported by the Thamshavn Line, which was the first electrical railway line in Norway. The annual production was about 350,000 tons of ore during its final years.
Wilhelm August Thams was a Norwegian merchant, land owner and lumber mill owner.
Thorvald "Thorry" Meyer Kiær was a Norwegian industrialist.
Meldal or Meldal Sentrum is the administrative centre of Melhus municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The village is located in the Orkdalen valley, along the river Orkla. The village of Å lies about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) to the south, the village of Løkken Verk lies about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) to the north, and the village of Storås lies about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) to the northwest.
Orkland is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Orkdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Orkanger. Other notable population centres in the municipality include Krokstadøra, Selbekken, Ingdalen, Lensvik, Vassbygda, Vernes, Leksa, Kjøra, Geitastrand, Gjølme, Thamshavn, Fannrem, Vormstad, Svorkmo, Hoston, village of Meldal, Løkken Verk, Bjørnli, Å, and Storås.