– There is a lot of electricity here, says the mayor of Tokke, Jarand Felland. Two kilometers away is Norway’s third largest power plant in terms of production. Kraftkommunen also has a maximum price of 38 øre. But 95 per cent of the electricity produced here is sent on to the cities, says the mayor. CHEAP ELECTRICITY: It pays to put the industry where the power is produced, believes Tokke mayor Jarand Felland. He has both cheap electricity and lots of space for new industrial companies. Photo: MARTIN TORSVEIT / news At the same time, industrial companies along the coast are clamoring for more electricity to cope with the green shift. The SP mayor believes that more industry should be established where the power is produced. – We have the power available and the industrial expertise, says Felland. Mayors in other power municipalities in Agder, Rogaland and Hordaland think the same. – We stand together for short-distance power, he says. Successful company can invest Dalen Mekaniske in Tokke is an example of a successful company that has benefited from the short-distance power. Dalen Mekaniske in Tokke will employ 20 new people by 2030. Thanks to access to cheap and safe electricity, the company can invest, says managing director Eivind Hårstad. Photo: MARTIN TORSTVEIT / news The company with 20–30 employees supplies parts for renewable energy. Their customers are primarily in Europe. Without stable access to cheaper electricity, the future would look completely different. Now they will hire 20 new ones by 2030. – We are a growing company instead of being a company that doesn’t have much time left, says Eivind Hårstad, general manager of Dalen mekaniske AS. Dropping monster masts The Tokke mayor believes that it saves both nature and electricity if new industry is established close to power production. – Then we won’t have to build new, large masts all over Norway with the costs it entails and major natural encroachments, he says. The net loss will also be much smaller. When electricity is transmitted over long distances, many thousands of kilowatt-hours are lost in heat, Felland points out. – Short-distance power is a very efficient use of power, he says. It is not about taking industry from the cities, he points out. The lack of power will limit how much it is possible to develop in urban areas, he believes. – Then something that is considering establishing itself along the coast can rather establish itself here, he says. Access is not everything Stable power is important for power-intensive companies, believes Stein Lier Hansen in Norsk Industri. But it doesn’t just boil down to that. – No one can command the industry to travel to a certain place. But the municipalities that can offer industry power for stable conditions and at the same time have areas arranged for industry, will get industry, says Stein Lier Hansen in Norsk Industri. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB – There is a lot of logic in what the mayor says. A company that requires power will naturally want to establish itself where the municipality can offer safe and stable power supply. But they also require that municipalities have regulated large areas for industrial areas through the Planning and Building Act, says Hansen. Municipalities that can offer this get industry, he points out. The challenge for municipalities like Tokke is the distance to other industry, Hansen believes. – It doesn’t help to have access to electricity if you don’t have an industrial park. It is one of the prerequisites that must be in place, he says. The Hima Seafood farm in Rjukan is an example of how short distances are an advantage. They get free waste heat from the Green Mountain data centre, he points out. Tricked to see own advantages The industry in Grenland, which receives much of the power in Tokke, seems to be clever in the Sp mayor’s move. – Then a little more is required. You must have expertise and areas so that the companies can do their job. Power is an important factor, but not the only one, says managing director at Herøya industrial park, Sverre Gotaas. Managing director of Herøya industrial park, Sverre Gotaas, believes it is wise for power municipalities to now look around and see what advantages they have and how they can develop their own industry. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news The industrial park in Porsgrunn is one of Norway’s largest and needs a lot of electricity to carry out the green shift. – With the big change we are going to have in our own industry going forward, we also have to use new areas, and then power municipalities are a place to start and look, says Gotaas. In Tokke, they not only have cheap electricity, but also plenty of space for industrial companies, the mayor points out. – The industry must think that they must not establish themselves where everyone else has established themselves in the last 50 years, says Felland.
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More industry must be placed where the power is produced – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
