Denmark and Greenland agree on cleaning up former American bases

By Elisabeth Bergquist, High North News - June 16, 2017
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Portable nuclear energy generators at Camp Century, Greenland. (U.S. Army)
Portable nuclear energy generators at Camp Century, Greenland. (U.S. Army)

Greenland and Denmark this week signed two agreements about cleaning up on former U.S. military bases on Greenland.

Kim Kielsen, Greenland’s premier, this week came home from Denmark bringing two new agreements with him, according to the Greenlandic online newspaper Sermitsiaq.ag.

One concerns cleaning up the old Grønnedal base. The other is a declaration stating that the Danish government will use 30 million Danish kroner (about $4.5 million) over the next five years to clean up former American military bases on Greenland.

“I think we have reached an important agreement about environmental clean-up on former military bases,” Kielsen told sermitsiaq.ag.

The first item on the list is the old Ikkatteq base, where more than 100,000 old oil barrels are lying about rusting in nature. There will also be a survey of Camp Century where researchers shall establish exactly what is hiding beneath the ice. The re-opening of the Kangilinnguit naval base will also lead to a renovation of its facilities, including removing derelict buildings on the site.