– I’m not trying to disclaim responsibility, says Borten Moe. He was a minister and gave the go-ahead to build power cables to Germany and England ten years ago. Then all the parties in the Storting thought that the cables should be built. Decisive were the calculations by Statnett and Sintef, which showed that the electricity price would increase by 3-4 øre on average. – To me, it seemed like a reasonable price to pay for increased security of supply. As you know, our own power system is very dependent on the weather. Now we have instead received extreme prices and the rationing of electricity is being seriously discussed, he says. “Shit in, shit out” Borten Moe described the process of making the decision based on the calculations as “shit in, shit out” in Dagsnytt 18 in July. Borten Moe’s statement has sparked debate as to whether the calculations were correct, but also whether he shirks political responsibility for the cables. Party leader Trygve Slagsvold Vedum said in Debate on Thursday that the description of the basis for the decision as miserable “is Ola’s words”. Former Statnett chairman Kolbjørn Almlid told Adressa on Saturday that Borten Moe is shooting down. Also surprised is the man who tried to persuade Borten Moe to ditch the cables ten years ago, Leif Sande. He spoke for the smelting industry as a shop steward for Industri Energi. – This was the Center Party’s vision. That he has allowed himself to be misled by Statnett, I have absolutely no faith in that. I think it was a very conscious policy they had, he says to news. Leif Sande is a former shop steward in industry and a parliamentary representative for the Labor Party. He went against his own party in the fight against the foreign cables to England and Germany. Photo: Torstein Georg Bøe / news – Takes self-criticism more than gladly Sande believes that politicians who receive calculations from professionals must take into account that the answers do not come from a fortune-telling ball, and should listen to the arguments against. – It is as if you were to make a decision that the oil price in 2025 should be 100 dollars a barrel. There is no one who can do that. These are variable things, says Sande. Borten Moes says he agrees with Sande, but that his experience is that politicians attach great importance to future forecasts when decisions are made. – There may be reason to reflect on that in general, and definitely in this case in particular. I am more than happy to take self-criticism for not having been critical enough, on the other hand, the recommendations were clear, he says. Borten Moe agrees that no one could have predicted the energy crisis Europe is facing after Russia went to war against Ukraine. – But the structural changes that in any case drove energy prices up and security of supply down in the European energy market have come about as a result of conscious choices, especially in Germany and Great Britain. Disagreement in German energy policy The countries are in the process of shutting down nuclear power plants. Borten Moe reacts in particular to the fact that Germany has a plan to close the country’s last three plants this winter, which could raise electricity prices in southern Norway. – You can’t shut down everything you don’t like without having a good plan for what to replace it with, and in any case not push the consequences onto the neighbour, he says. Borten Moe says that ten years ago he assumed that the British and Germans wanted well-functioning markets that would be able to send electricity back to Norway. – In retrospect, it must be possible to establish that none of these have worked. It is mainly export, and it is to a market in crisis. Borten Moe himself advocated dropping the development of three further foreign cables for fear of more expensive electricity: To Scotland, Russia and Sweden. – I was probably the first energy minister to problematize the consequences of excessive power exchange. It also had an impact on practical politics.
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Borten Moe responds to cable criticism: – Not trying to disclaim responsibility – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
