The story in short – “Lutelandet industrial park” is not allowed to connect to the electricity grid, even if a wind power plant is open in the same area. – The decision has created anger in the local community, which assumed that the wind farm came in exchange for business development and other gains in the local area. – Statnett bases its decision on the fact that they are bound by the Energy Act, which states that local interests are not a factor when electricity quotas are distributed. .- Despite assurances that they will invest between NOK 100-150 billion in the motorways in the Norwegian power system, critics have advocated overturning the Statnett monopoly.- According to the Straumnettutvalet, the waiting time for new regional and national power lines is between 7 and 14 year. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. New power-demanding businesses in Fjaler municipality are not allowed to connect to the power grid, even if a wind power plant is open in the same area. Instead, Statnett says that the companies must line up, and there they should take a sleeping bag with them. In practice, it can take up to ten years before Lutelandet industrial park receives power for its own use. The decision has caused anger in the entire region, which was based on the fact that the wind farm came in exchange for business development and other gains in the local area. – I get discouraged, says Vestland mayor Jon Askeland (Sp) to news. – Here we are leading the way in the green shift, and then we get this in return? Statnett bases its decision on the fact that they are bound by the Energy Act, which states that local interests are not a factor when the electricity quotas are distributed. The only valid criteria are the time of the application (“first come, first served”) and how mature the project is. Historically, Norwegian industrial growth has been closely linked to power production, symbolized by industrial communities such as Odda, Rjukan, Sunndalsøra, Årdal and Høyanger. According to the Energy Commission, Norway should increase power production by 40 TWh by 2030 in order to achieve its climate and industrial policy goals. Photo: SFE – Local interests should be a criterion Several people are now advocating that the award criteria be changed so that those who sacrifice natural values for the benefit of power production in return get to “sneak” into the electricity queue. – Co-location and local interests should be a criterion, says Tom-Christer Nilsen of Bergen Business Council. KrF’s energy policy spokesperson, Kjell Ingolf Ropstad, says that “the time is overdue” to look at criteria other than first come, first serve. – That the emphasis is placed on local circular activities and jobs must be completely natural, he says. – Those who give up nature must be able to expect value creation in return. Olve Grotle, Høgre – If we are to succeed in bringing about new power generation, we must cater for local businesses and local power needs. Helge André Njåstad, Frp – Connection to the power grid should be based on societal benefit. This means that projects that provide jobs and local value creation must move forward in the queue. Lars Haltbrekken, SV – Stricter prioritization of who gets to connect to the network is needed. Otherwise, I risk getting bitcoin and tiktok centers instead of those who build up under the local business community. Sofie Marhaug, Raudt – The first-come, first-served principle is an anarchistic market principle that does not work when we are dealing with a scarce commodity as power. Ove Trellevik, Høgre – The time is ripe for us to prioritize local power needs. It can also speed up wind power development. Alfred Bjørlo, Venstre – It is completely unjustified that the government promises new industry and new jobs to municipalities that say yes to the development of renewable energy, but does not lift a finger to make arrangements for this to be connected. Arve Helle, Ap – I expect these rules to be changed as soon as possible, something the government has also signalled. It has always been a prerequisite for the project on Lutelandet that through the wind farm we also secure use for developing industry. Tom-Christer Nilsen, Bergen business council – Those who give up nature must be able to expect value creation in return. Before Christmas, there was an open dispute between NVE (at RME) and Statnett when the former asked Statnett to explain why so many companies have to queue to get electricity. The question came in what was characterized as a “strict letter” by the energy website Europower. “Queuing is the new normal”, Statnett signed off in an equally sharp reply. On January 5, the parties had a “dish-washing meeting” and came out again as friends. In a joint statement, they stated that the dialogue was good and that they agreed on measures to improve capacity in the power grid. At the same time, the government announces that they will review the rules for who will get electricity, and in what order (see answer below). The Ministry of Energy answers Elisabeth Sæther (Ap), State Secretary – Everyone who wants it has the right to be connected to the grid. The reason why there are still more people queuing to get network capacity is that the demand exceeds the supply, and then the network companies have to carry out network investments in order to be able to increase their network capacity. The government has therefore taken a number of measures to contribute to faster grid development, among other things we have ensured a historic strengthening of the energy management powers both last year and this year. The government has announced that it wants the network companies to move away from the first-come, first-served principle and switch to a system where the network companies prioritize industrial projects and others that show the ability to implement and make good progress. In this way, priority is given to the projects that are most likely to be realized and thereby create value for Norway. During the spring, we will come up with proposals for regulatory changes that make this change clear. “Co-location” is not a criterion that network companies can emphasize when allocating network capacity. The grid is precisely supposed to tie consumption and production together, and we have different prerequisites for power production around our country. But at the same time I would like to emphasize that a good energy balance, also regionally, is important to facilitate increased power consumption, which in turn creates jobs and cuts emissions. A prerequisite for success is that several municipalities make their land available for power development. – I understand well that they are frustrated in Fjaler. If you have given up nature and land, the local communities must get something in return, says Aleksander Øren Heen (Sp). – Put simply, there is no point in sacrificing more nature for the development of renewable energy in Vestland in perhaps ten years, says Jon Ashland (Sp). Here together with Bjørn Arild Gram and Bent-Joacim Bentzen. – The same thing that I see in Fjaler happens in many other places in the country. Everything must be electrified, which means that we have an enormous need for more power and grids, says Åslaug Haga in Fornybar Norge. Want to overturn the Statnett monopoly Despite assurances from Statnett that they will invest between NOK 100-150 billion in the “highways” of the Norwegian power system, votes in the Storting have advocated overturning the Statnett monopoly. The reason is that the company is not working quickly enough to dimension the power grid for the green shift. According to the Straumnet Committee, the waiting time for new regional and national power lines is between 7 and 14 years. In Austlandet, there will not be room for several companies to connect to the power grid until 2030-2035, the network provider Elvia announced in a press release before Christmas. Low construction activity and the accumulation of applications were part of the foundation when Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland instructed NVE to create a “fast track” to speed up the development of the power grid. Lutelandet industrial park should create 300 jobs in Fjaler. – In the long term, there are only three measures that will work: More power, more grids and more efficient use of energy, says Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland. In Western Norway, business parks in Mongstad, in Skipavik, Kollsnes and Ågotnes have for a long time been “screaming” for power and lines to bring it forward. Statnett answers Gunnar Løvås, Executive Vice President for Power Systems and Markets in Statnett – We reserve capacity for customers with high maturity in their plans, based on when they have reported their needs. The regulations do not give priority to local actors, but existing businesses will often by their nature have a higher maturity than others and therefore indirectly be prioritized. Åslaug Haga, head of Renewable Norway – This case well illustrates two things that the politicians must address. First of all, the licensing time of the governing authorities, the time they spend on dealing with matters of more power and networks, must be reduced significantly. We have proposed that the governing authorities should have a deadline of three years for processing. In the meantime, we will have a shortage of power, and then we will have to prioritize activities that contribute to green workplaces and emission reductions to a greater extent than now. Politicians can change both of these things here and now. – The same thing that I see in Fjaler happens in many other places in the country. Everything is to be electrified, which means that we have an enormous need for more power and the grid. The renewable energy industry is ready to build, but we need a public system that works quickly enough for the new reality. We are asking the energy minister to set up a cross-party energy commission, which can land a broad energy policy settlement that will really speed up Norwegian restructuring – because this is what we are after. Taxes must “appease” the host municipalities On the production side, the government has increased the tax level on land-based wind power to compensate and “appease” the host municipalities that sacrifice natural values to increase power production. The head of Fornybar Noreg, Åslaug Haga, says that “Norwegian energy policy is designed for a completely different time”. – There are no good reasons why it should take as long to build up capacity in the power grid as it does today. It goes without saying that 7 to 14 years is completely hopeless when there are climate targets to be reached in just under six years. Zero analysis: – Co-located industry will use energy and land more efficiently In the project Green industrial parks, ZERO has investigated whether emission-heavy industrial parks can have a competitive advantage in climate change. ‒ Our analysis shows that co-location has a large area and energy gain. There is a lot to be gained through shared infrastructure, utilization of waste heat and material use, says Anne Marit Post-Melbye, subject manager for industry at ZERO. Based on the analysis, ZERO recommends that the authorities prioritize networks for industrial parks: – If we are to reach the climate targets, emissions must be cut in existing industry and new industry must be realised. The industrial park brings together both existing and new industry. A more nationally controlled network development can stimulate new industry to use vacant land, says Post-Melbye.
ttn-69
New businesses along the coast are not allowed to connect to the power grid – news Vestland
