Cheap electricity makes industrial players look north, and in Alta everything is ready for the establishment of new companies and jobs. There is only one problem. The capacity on Statnett’s central grid is reserved for the petroleum industry. This means that it is not possible to utilize the surplus of power produced in Finnmark for power-intensive companies that want to establish themselves. AREAS ENOUGH: Head of business in Alta municipality, Jørgen Kristoffersen, says that new industry could provide a significant number of new jobs for the municipality. Photo: Kai Erik Bull / news The head of industry in the municipality, Jørgen Kristoffersen, despairs that they cannot welcome the industry. – Many people knock on the door and want to establish themselves, but when the moment of truth comes, we cannot offer what they want and that is electricity, he says. He says that there are large players who want to invest in hydrogen, ammonia, batteries and data storage. – We have the areas in place, and this could give us a significant number of new jobs, says Kristoffersen. Electrification hinders development Alta Kraftlag believes the situation is unnecessary, and bordering on the absurd. – It overflows with power, but no actors are allowed to exploit it, says Per-Erik Ramstad. Ramstad is director of the power team, and he can tell that they are in an absolutely incredible situation. – Prices are low as a result of high production, but new players cannot establish themselves here because the capacity is reserved for the petroleum industry. Large parts go to the electrification of Equinor’s LNG plant on Melkøya in Hammerfest. – Electrification stops all other businesses of greater importance. Melkøya has already operated for 15–20 years, so they don’t need to consume so much of the network, he believes. CLIMATE: The director of Alta Kraftlag believes that Norway’s climate accounting may be the reason why the petroleum industry has ordered so much capacity. Photo: Christina Gjertsen / news Norway’s climate accounting may be the reason, but Per-Erik Ramstad questions whether it is right that the environment should come before development. – If the gas is burned on Melkøya or sent to Europe, it has no climate benefit other than for Norway’s climate accounting, i.e. politics, he believes. Ready for projects Communications advisor at Statnett, Ingrid Zimmermann, explains why the petroleum industry is getting so much capacity. – It was reserved for the oil companies because they were the first to come up with concrete plans that required power. Equinor wanted to build a new gas factory on Melkøya, in addition to the one that is there today, she says. These plans were shelved, as not enough gas was found in the Barents Sea for such a factory. Furthermore, Zimmermann explains that the green shift results in a large increase in power consumption, which entails a need to upgrade the current grid. STATNETT: Ingrid Zimmermann in Statnett says that they are in the process of planning renewals in Alta, among others, where they are considering increasing capacity on the network. Photo: Statnett – Alta is not the only place that has been presented with gold-edged plans in the green shift. Today, Statnett presents new plans that take into account the power demand in ten major geographical areas in Norway. First up is the area plan for Finnmark, Troms and northern Nordland. – There are plans for a lot of new consumption in the north as well, but it is too early to be able to say anything about expected consumption, what consumption there is capacity for in the grid today and what future grid reinforcement measures we are introducing, explains Ingrid Zimmermann. Will reduce emissions Today, power and heat are supplied to the LNG plant in Hammerfest from five gas turbines with heat recovery. Equinor is investigating the electrification of the facility, with the aim of reducing CO₂ emissions by 850,000 tonnes per year. – Any electrification of Melkøya and Wisting will seize approximately half of the capacity established by Statnett in the first round. Most of this will go to Melkøya, says Gisle Ledel Johannessen. He is a spokesperson for Equinor and says that they have asked for power from Statnett, like all other internet customers. – We have followed the current guidelines, which are to request and subsequently order network capacity. These are open and transparent processes that are administered by Statnett and network owners, says Johannessen. He explains that the new Skaidi line will be able to contribute to new network capacity in a region that currently has no available capacity. – The planned expansion and strengthening of the power infrastructure in the region will also facilitate further capacity increases later, he says. Today, it is gas that provides power and heat to the LNG plant in Hammerfest. The plant will now be electrified. Photo: Allan Klo / news Finnmark at the forefront In Lebesby, mayor Sigurd Rafaelsen believes that Finnmark has all the prerequisites to be at the forefront of the green shift. – We have great potential to create industry in the north. But we have to accelerate the development of the network, so that the development of renewable energy can become a reality, he says. He believes that access to stable power is absolutely essential for new development. – The processing time at NVE must be shortened, and Statnett must receive clear indications that it is urgent to get a good network in place, says Rafaelsen. POSITIVE: Lebesby municipality is one of several municipalities in the county that have received requests for establishments from the industrial sector. Photo: Kristina Kalinina / news The mayor is optimistic about the interest that also comes to them from both small and large companies. – We must be able to move forward. I also believe that the national authorities are addressing this, and are making arrangements so that we can have positive development in the north, he says, adding: – It is important both from a climate and security perspective. Power deficit on the way This problem is not unique to Finnmark, and there is a trend toward power deficits in several places in the country. – Most of our surplus power actually comes from Nordland. We are going to move towards a power deficit in Finnmark, so we have to get more renewable energy developed, says Marianne Sivertsen Næss (Ap). She is the leader of the energy and environment committee, and believes that the line network within northern Norway must be strengthened. – An extra 420 kV line into Finnmark will ensure that we get more power into our county, says Næss. MORE POWER: An extra 420 kV line could be the solution, and ensure enough power for the county, believes Marianne Sivertsen Næss (Ap). Photo: Eirik Sørenmo Påsche Like Rafaelsen, she believes that Finnmark can be at the forefront of the green shift, and says she will do everything in her place to ensure that the establishment of new industrial companies is realised. – I believe that we have everything it takes to be at the forefront of the green shift. We have natural resources, land, expertise and reasonable power, which we aim to continue in the future as well, she says.
ttn-69
not enough capacity – news Troms and Finnmark
