– For us it will be a sigh of relief. Now we do not need more messages, but actions. That’s what Hanne Marit Henriksen, a trained engineer and main board member of NITO, says. – It is good to have an offensive battery strategy. But for us to be closed, we must have access to the right and sufficient competence. We simply do not have what we need here, and it is very sad, says Henriksen. There is a nationwide shortage of engineers. They are very tight in the battery investment, which some believe can replace the income from oil and gas. Lack of competence: – It is urgent On Wednesday, the government came up with Norway’s first battery strategy. It happened in Mo industrial park, not far from the privately owned company Freyr Battery’s pilot factory. More battery factories are to come, and the need for competent engineers is great. Freyr Battery Norway Photo: Lars-Petter Kalkenberg / news Freyr Battery Norway will make batteries for both the desktop and e-mobile battery market globally. The stationary market is based on intermediate storage of solar and wind energy, while the e-mobile market can be anything from scooters to ships. Hilde Birgitte Rønningsen, communications director at Freyr Battery Norway, explains: Freyr is in the process of building the first battery cell factory. It will be used for cell production for approval by customers, and as a training arena for employees of the large gig factories. The first factory will have approx. 60 employees and will be ready for production in the second half of 2022. In parallel, the project organization responsible for the construction of the factories will increase its presence in Mo i Rana. The first from the project organization have already arrived. Freyr will build a total of five factories in Mo i Rana with 1500 employees. We will produce cost-effective and environmentally friendly pouch battery cells (bag cells) in Norway using the American 24M technology. The 24M technology provides increased energy density in the battery cells and is up to 40% cheaper to produce. They also provide a safer and faster production compared to conventional lithium-ion batteries. Annual production capacity of up to 43 GWh by 2025. This corresponds to electricity for 800,000 electric cars. The giant factory will consist of four factories and will be built in five construction stages. The first stage is a pilot plant to be set up in the first half of 2022 (375 MWh). Factory 1: 5.3 GWh (2023) Factory 2: 8 GWh (2024) Factory 3: 10.6 GWh (2025) Factory 4: 10.6 GWh (2025) The pilot plant and factories 3 and 4 are being built at the harbor of Mo Industrial Park . Factories 2 and 3 are being built inside the industrial park. It has been eight years since employers in Norway have experienced such great difficulties in obtaining engineering expertise as today. The greatest shortage is in Nordland. The purpose of the government’s ten-point plan is to facilitate Norway becoming a leading producer and develop what is called a profitable battery value chain. Hanne Marit Henriksen, main board member of NITO. During a press conference at Mo, the Minister of Trade and Industry recently announced that they will present a report to the Storting on skills development during 2023. – We are very happy about that, but we already have a lot of knowledge. We know we have to have people who know the technology. The factories are coming fast and it is urgent that something happens now, says Henriksen. She is thinking in particular of the need for continuing and further education that will ensure that those who are already in work are not outdated. The Minister together with NITO Minister of Trade and Industry Jan Christian Vestre (Labor Party) says that the goal now is to ensure sufficient renewable energy, so that the carbon footprint in Norway is as small as possible. – We provide support for research and development, then it is the companies themselves who will hire, and who have great ambitions to be green themselves. We cheer for that, and we will contribute as best we can for this to happen. – What do you think about NITO’s concerns about competence? – Norway has the world’s best engineers and skilled workers, and many of them are well underway in the green industries, including the battery value chain. Then I completely agree with NITO, that it is urgent to educate more people. Therefore, the government is in the process of expanding the educational offer, not least in the districts, where these jobs are created. Jan Christian Vestre, Minister of Trade and Industry for the Labor Party. Photo: Karen Gjetrang / news Vestre says that, in addition to strengthening the vocational schools, they will make it easier to build on prior learning. We are also working on a reform that will contribute to this work, he says. – But must the expertise be sourced from outside, or can we create everything here in Norway? – Just like when we created the oil and gas adventure in the 70s, we are dependent on a little help from outside. But in the battery strategy, the government clearly states that the goal is to create its own cutting-edge expertise in batteries in Norway. According to Vestre, they will do this by working closely with industry and educational institutions. – Among other things with the vocational schools, where a battery vocational school has already been established. We see that more upper secondary schools are also creating their own educational offerings. We think Norway can build this competence itself. Around 600 man-years in the long term Batterifabrikken Giga Arctic is scheduled to start production in the first half of 2024. Factory manager for Freyr in Mo i Rana, Thomas Bergan, explains that the large recruitment is planned for 2023. – We do not go directly to the candidates completely yet, but we market in the right channels to important target groups and have dialogues. In the long run, there will be around 600 man-years for the factory. In addition, there will be employees in the pilot factory and test center, and staff. Factory manager for Freyr in Mo i Rana, Thomas Bergan. Photo: Press photo Many nationalities Freyr himself plans to acquire expertise both domestically and abroad. At Mo, there are already battery specialists from Japan, China, Great Britain and Germany. But also from the technical industry in Norway, in addition to NTNU and other universities. – We need good engineers and have already hired many skilled people at the pilot factory, project department and operations department here at Mo, says Bergan.
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High shortage of engineering expertise for battery factories – news Nordland
