Elkem Thamshavn
Encyclopedia
Elkem Thamshavn is a smelting
plant owned by Elkem
located at Thamshavn
just north of Orkanger
, Norway
. The plant produces ferrosilicon
and microsilica and was started in 1931.
and Sulfur
have been excavated in the Løkken Mines since 1654 that had to be freighted down to Orkanger and onwards to Europe
by ship. In 1867 the local farmer Wilhelm Thams built a sawmill
at Thamshavn, and the place was named after him. He, his grandson Christian Thams
, and his accountant Christian Salvesen bought the mines at Løkken Verk
in 1904 and constructed a railway, Thamshavnbanen
, from the mine and down the 25 km to the port
at Thamshavn. In 1931 Orkla Metall was opened, officially owned by the subsidiary Chr. Salvesen & Chr. Thams's Communications Aktieselskab
that also owned the railway and the hydro electric
power plant.
The original function of the plant was to smelt the pyrites from the mine into sulphur and copper matte
. This lasted until 1962 when the plant closed. But in 1964 it reopened with a new furnace for ferrosilicon production, with a second furnace opening in 1981. The company was acquired by Elkem in 1986, that was bought by the original owner, Orkla Group
, in 2005.
Smelting
Smelting is a form of extractive metallurgy; its main use is to produce a metal from its ore. This includes iron extraction from iron ore, and copper extraction and other base metals from their ores...
plant owned by Elkem
Elkem
Elkem is one of Norway's largest industrial companies, and one of the world's leading suppliers of metals and materials. The company's main products are aluminium, energy and silicon as well as specialised products such as ferrosilicon to foundries, microsilica and carbon...
located at Thamshavn
Thamshavn
Thamshavn is a small port village in the municipality of Orkdal in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is the site of the port for Orkanger and the ferrosilicon plant Elkem Thamshavn...
just north of Orkanger
Orkanger
Orkanger is village and former municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the present-day municipality of Orkdal at the end of the Orkdalsfjorden, and arm of the Trondheimsfjord. Orkanger is the administrative and commercial centre of the municipality of Orkdal...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The plant produces ferrosilicon
Ferrosilicon
Ferrosilicon, or ferrosilicium, is a ferroalloy, an alloy of iron and silicon with between 15% and 90% silicon. It contains a high proportion of iron silicides. Its melting point is about 1200 °C to 1250 °C with a boiling point of 2355 °C...
and microsilica and was started in 1931.
History
CopperCopper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
and Sulfur
Sulfur
Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...
have been excavated in the Løkken Mines since 1654 that had to be freighted down to Orkanger and onwards to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
by ship. In 1867 the local farmer Wilhelm Thams built a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
at Thamshavn, and the place was named after him. He, his grandson Christian Thams
Christian Thams
Christian Thams was a Norwegian architect, industrialist, businessman and diplomat.-Background:Christian Marius Thams was born in Trondheim, Sør-Trøndelag, Norway. His parens were Marentius Thams and Emilie Christine Ullitz...
, and his accountant Christian Salvesen bought the mines at Løkken Verk
Løkken Verk
Løkken Verk is a village in the municipality of Meldal in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located south of Svorkmo , east of Bjørnli, and north of the municipal center of Meldal....
in 1904 and constructed a railway, Thamshavnbanen
Thamshavnbanen
The Thamshavn Line was Norway's first electric railway, running from 1908 to 1974. Today it is operated as a heritage railway and is the world's oldest railway running on its original alternating current electrification scheme, using 25 Hz 6.6 kV AC. It was built to transport pyrites...
, from the mine and down the 25 km to the port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
at Thamshavn. In 1931 Orkla Metall was opened, officially owned by the subsidiary Chr. Salvesen & Chr. Thams's Communications Aktieselskab
Chr. Salvesen & Chr. Thams's Communications Aktieselskab
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...
that also owned the railway and the hydro electric
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
power plant.
The original function of the plant was to smelt the pyrites from the mine into sulphur and copper matte
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
. This lasted until 1962 when the plant closed. But in 1964 it reopened with a new furnace for ferrosilicon production, with a second furnace opening in 1981. The company was acquired by Elkem in 1986, that was bought by the original owner, Orkla Group
Orkla Group
Orkla Group is a Norwegian industrial conglomerate operating in the Nordic region, Eastern Europe, Asia and the US. The company's main divisions are branded consumer goods, aluminium solutions, materials, associates and financial investments.-Operations:...
, in 2005.