A new report from the Norwegian Environment Agency says that Norway needs up to 34 terawatt-hours (TWh) of extra power to meet the emission requirements of the Paris Agreement (see fact box). Of this, land-based industry needs 14 TWh and the petroleum sector 10 TWh. In addition, the Norwegian Environment Agency says that a further 10 TWh will be necessary to produce “greener fuel” for the transport sector. By comparison, Norway used around 140 TWh last year. This is what the world has promised to do against climate change. In the Paris Agreement, the countries of the world agreed to limit global warming to 2 degrees, and most preferably 1.5 degrees. At the climate summit in Glasgow in 2021, the countries determined that the goal to work towards is 1 5 degrees The world is already around 1 degree warmer than pre-industrial times. Even the most optimistic scenarios in the UN’s latest climate report imply that one will for a period exceed 1.5 degrees The sixth main report from the UN’s climate panel clearly states that the consequences of climate change will be greater, more unpredictable and more difficult to adapt to as the temperature in the world increases rises – Power for new green industry is the key in the green transition, said climate and environment minister Espen Barth Eide when he received the report earlier in September. The message about more power was repeated during the emergency meeting at the Storting last week. – In the long term, there are only three measures that really work. More power, more networks and more efficient use of energy, said Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland (Ap). An echo of a mess he has performed throughout the autumn. – We must develop the wind power potential, he said when he visited the new wind farm in Stokkfjellet in Selbu in August. – Must be one of Norway’s top priorities now Knut Fredrik Kroepelien, head of Energi Norge – More renewable energy production must be one of Norway’s top priorities now. In the short term, we must realize the potential we have left in hydropower, and we must have a little more wind on land. In the longer term, we must have good and efficient processes for offshore wind, where Norway has enormous potential – not only to cover its own consumption, but also to create new industry. Norway’s greenhouse gas emissions and climate targets measured in million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents? Click for explanation of CO₂ equivalents. Norway’s climate target23.1–25.7 million tonnes annually Go to news’s Climate Status What is Norway’s climate target?By 2030, Norway must cut 50-55 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990 levels. The goal is to be achieved in cooperation with the EU. By 2050, 90-95 per cent of Norwegian emissions must be cut. This means that we must cut emissions at record speed. In the last ten years, we have managed to cut around 5 million tonnes. In the next ten, we will cut around 25 million tonnes. How will Norway reach the climate target? Norway must cut emissions in two ways, because the emission sources can be divided into two: are particularly emissions from industry and the oil/gas platforms. The emissions are covered by the EU’s quota system: In order to emit greenhouse gases, the industry must buy permits (quotas) in the EU at the price determined by the quota market. Steadily higher prices and fewer allowances will force emissions cuts where it is easiest to implement. Non-eligible emissions: These are greenhouse gas emissions from, among other things, transport, agriculture, waste and heating in buildings. This is called the non-quota-obligatory sector because you do not need quotas to release greenhouse gases. How Norway can cut emissions in this sector is described in the specialist report “Climate cure 2030”. The politicians decide which of the measures from the report are to be implemented. Norway can also cut non-quota-obligatory emissions by paying for emission cuts in other European countries. The government says that it plans to meet the targets without using this option, but it can be used if it becomes “strictly necessary”. For Norway, the emissions in the two sectors are roughly the same: in 2019, they released around 25 million tonnes of greenhouse gases each .What happens if Norway does not reach the climate target? It could be politically embarrassing. A likely solution is that Norway chooses to pay for emission cuts in other countries. Norway can also be subject to sanctions if we do not reach the targets we have agreed with the EU. Norway must regularly report cuts to the UN, in line with the targets set in the Paris Agreement. Here, no sanctions are stipulated for those who do not fulfill their obligations. – We have very little time. The analysis for the Norwegian Environment Agency covers existing industry and ongoing projects, but not hydrogen for export and battery factories that can help reduce emissions in other countries (details below). Fact: New report on green transformation of the industry The Norwegian Environment Agency has assessed the potential for cutting emissions up to 2030. The analysis is based on the industries’ own findings and ongoing projects. The analysis of potential measures in the petroleum sector has been carried out in collaboration with the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate and the possibility of carbon capture and storage has been identified together with Gassnova. About half of the Norwegian emissions of greenhouse gases are subject to quotas, the rest are not subject to quotas. The analysis mainly covers emissions in the sector subject to quotas, which were not included in the report “Climate cure 2030” from the Norwegian Environment Agency in 2020. While the oil industry has a great ability to pay for the electricity it may need, it is more demanding for land-based industry, the Norwegian Environment Agency points out. “For land-based industry, the situation is different. Power is an important input factor in the processes and the price of power is decisive for the competitiveness of the business,” they write. – We have a very short time before the emission curve for the world has to point downwards. The new analysis shows what such a change could look like, said Ellen Hambro, director of the Norwegian Environment Agency, when she presented the report. In 2020, then oil and energy minister Tina Bru (H) had two reports on the table which said that Norway needed an additional 27 TWh to reduce fossil energy use. In the report “Electrification measures in Norway”, NVE estimates that 23 TWh more power consumption will increase the average power price by 7-10 øre per kWh. That means around NOK 2,000 extra a year for an average household. The controversial measure to electrify the shelf was previously calculated to require around 15 TWh a year. Tampen Hywind turbines are now being installed in Sløvåg in Gulen. Photo: Arne Stubhaug, news The Minister of Energy does not want a “shortcut” for offshore wind The increased demand for power comes on top of projections for electricity use which show that Norway is steering towards a deficit. The politically agreed answer to this predicament is more wind power, more solar power and new tax rules to stimulate more hydropower development. In May, the government announced that it wants 1,500 wind turbines in Norwegian waters by 2040. The ambition is for offshore wind to produce as much power as Norwegian water turbines. Four weeks later, Equinor reported that “Trollvind”, a floating offshore wind farm in the Troll area about 65 kilometers west of Bergen, could be in operation as late as 2027. The presumption is that the area in question will quickly be identified as an area for offshore wind development. But such a “shortcut” will not be accepted by the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, writes the website Energy and Climate. They refer to a written response from Energy Minister Aasland that it must first be “clarified whether it is desirable (…) that an area be opened for wind power in the vicinity of the Troll field” and that a competition must then be “conducted for the area. » TROLLVIND: NVE estimated last year that Norway will produce 166 TWh of power in 2030, while Statnett is somewhat more optimistic and estimates that production will be 175 TWh. Photo: Equinor Wants “fast track” to speed up the Norwegian power grid The answer is apparently in relief to statements from Statnett that “offshore wind will make a positive energy contribution” in the Bergen area, and a new NVE report which states that Trollvind will be ” favorable” in what is characterized as “an energy deficit area”. The background is that the power in Western Norway is mainly produced inland, while the center of gravity for the planned and increased power use is on the coast (see map). Last year, power production in Norway increased by 3.1 TWh, while consumption increased by 6 TWh. So twice as much. Red line is 420 kV, blue line is 300 kV. Photo: Statnett Among the business parks that “cry out” for more power are Mongstad, Skipavik, Kollsnes and Ågotnes. The power shortage was the reason why the minister asked NVE earlier in September to create a “fast track” to speed up the development of the power grid.
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New report quantifies how much extra electricity Norway needs for climate measures – news Vestland
