Rødsand mine

Here at Rødsand, the characteristic white ore towers tower over a 170 year old mining and industrial history. The first known mining operation took place in in 1877 with the first shipload of ore from Rødsand to the USA. Large scale mining didn’t start though before the prolific businessman Sam Eyde along with other investors founded the company AS Rødsand Gruber in 1910. Ole Øverlie had the responsibility for building up the new business with a power station and a factory for the production of finely ground iron ore. In order to produce one ton of iron ore it takes around 4, 5 tons of rock. The residual products eventually became valuable commodities such as aggregate for use in construction. In large, the business of AS Rødsand gruber followed developments in Europe through two world wars and economic up and downturns. Rødsand gruber was closed down in 1982 with the loss of 167 jobs. But much of the mine’s history has been collated by enthusiasts and can be seen at the Raudsand mining museum. Aluscan was established at the mining area in 1989 by Kjell Olav Sjøli and Gerhard Eide. The aim of the company was to reuse and refine the waste from the aluminium industry. Today the company has foreign owners and employs between 60 and 70 people in Rødsand and Rød.