It is Monday 23 January and the community center in Høyanger is packed. So many people have turned up that the organizer has used extra rooms to accommodate everyone. The topic of the meeting is the wind power plans for Snøheia, the mountain area between Høyanger and Viksdalen in Sunnfjord. But before the meeting is over, the framework for the meeting must be stretched. When the visitors get up to go home – four hours after the start of the meeting – they have adopted two resolutions that the tiny municipality must explore an alternative energy track: nuclear power. The statement was adopted by a unanimous assembly (you can see the meeting here). This was adopted during the public meeting in Høyanger At the public meeting in Høyanger on 23 January 2023, with 300 participants, the following two statements were adopted by a unanimous assembly (the method was negative acclamation; raise your hand if you disagree): Statement 1 The public meeting in Høyanger on 23 January 2023 asks Høyanger municipal council to invite several suppliers of nuclear power to present a license application for a nuclear power plant in Høyanger by 2025. Statement 2 The public meeting in Høyanger on 23 January 2023 asks Høyanger municipal council not to open up the licensing process for new wind power plants in the municipality without at the same time, there is a license application for the establishment of a nuclear power plant. The people in Høyanger were supposed to discuss wind power plans last week. Four hours later, the assembly was more enthusiastic about nuclear power. Photo: Arne Stubhaug / news – Nuclear power is a far better alternative Eviny director Olav Osvoll, who was invited to give a briefing on the wind power plans, tried to protest against the nuclear power statement, before he was informed that he does not have the right to vote. – I did not take this vote seriously, says Osvoll to news. But it does, member of the Alternative Energy Commission, Hogne Hongset, who promoted the proposal. – I had hoped for a majority, preferably with a good margin, and then it was unanimous! It means that nuclear power has gained greater support, and that opponents of wind power see that modern nuclear power is a far better alternative than building down more of what we have left of untouched nature, he says. Among Norwegian supporters of nuclear power, the “Høyanger statement” is received as a symbolically heavy dividing line of time (see below). – This is something we see in several industrial communities Tore Kanstad, board member of Climate Friends for Nuclear Power – The public meeting shows that many in Høyanger are positive about modern nuclear power. It is actually something we see in several industrial societies, and perhaps it is because they see the value of stable power, and because nuclear power plants require so little natural land compared to the alternative? In addition to supplying electricity around the clock, nuclear power can supply the local industry with heat, so here the cornerstone companies can be given good terms. Otherwise, it is strange that the director of wind power voted against the nuclear power proposal, as wind power needs nuclear power. With nuclear power as base load, we will be able to release more water power that can seal the hole when the wind power is not blowing. Jonny Hesthammer, head of Norwegian nuclear power – It is completely understandable that the issue of natural encroachment on beautiful nature has stirred strong feelings. Modern small, modular nuclear power plants (SMR) can help reduce the need for natural interventions and at the same time ensure reliable power supplies. It is therefore not surprising that the residents of Høyanger want to know more about this before final decisions are made that affect the future of the region. Norsk Kjernekraft is happy to contribute knowledge in an analysis of whether nuclear power can contribute to solving the power challenges facing the region. It is now more important than ever that decisions are made based on facts and not feelings. Fortunately, we see that nuclear power is being discussed in positive terms in several new reports. Nils Morten Huseby, director at the Department of Energy Engineering (IFE), who previously operated the nuclear reactor in Halden – It is positive that the debate on nuclear power is now taking place in Norway. From our side, we do not wish to influence decision-making processes, but contribute with knowledge and research to provide a basis for good, professional grounding when alternatives are to be assessed and decisions are made. The world as a whole must have nuclear power to solve the climate challenges, and IFE has for many decades, through its research and expertise, been an important contributor to increasing the safety of nuclear reactors all over the world. Advanced SMR reactors can play together with renewable energy and produce electricity when the wind doesn’t blow or the sun doesn’t shine. But even if the technology is developing very quickly, nuclear power plants based on SMR technology are not expected to be available until the 2030s. In order for this to be relevant in Norway, one must also solve central challenges linked to waste and, in addition, build up much more competence both among operators and governing authorities. Hroar Holm Carlsen, Høyanger Høgre – I do not agree with the two statements that were adopted during the public meeting. Nuclear power is interesting, and I personally consider it a good and environmentally friendly source of energy. Germany’s decision to phase out nuclear power is a wrong decision that has greatly contributed to the energy crisis in Europe, in addition to the war in Ukraine. Then I am more unsure whether nuclear power is right for Norway, and I think that in that case such facilities should be located in the south-east of the country to ensure power there instead of even more power being sent in high-voltage lines over long distances. NVE Director Kjetil Lund (left), Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap) and Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland (Ap) last week presented a series of measures to ensure that electricity security will improve in the future. The Energy Commission opens up for nuclear power Høyanger mayor Petter Sortland (Ap) has been open about the wind power plans having put him in “a hellish dilemma” and that he does not know what to think. Now he has yet another dilemma to deal with: How bound is he by what took place during the public meeting? – It was an exotic element, and completely without warning, he says. He nevertheless took the “stunt” (as he calls it) so seriously that he passed it on to Energy Minister Terje Aasland (Ap), who was visiting Høyanger the following day. On Wednesday 1 February, the Energy Commission delivers its report to the same minister, two months overtime. Among the tasks of the commission is to propose measures to increase energy production. According to Dagbladet, if parts of the report have been obtained, the commission is open to Norway having nuclear power in the future. – Nuclear power plants in Florø or Gulen As late as 2021, nuclear power was not mentioned with a single word in the Storting message “Energy to work”. In the meantime, the energy crisis has led to a renewed debate about Norwegian energy sources, and to overturn established fronts and decisions. Symbolized by the Energi21 report and the Renewable Plan for Vestland county, which contain formulations that “small modular reactors” are “safe”, “competitive” and not far off (“could be in operation in the 2030s”). Minister of Education Ola Borten Moe (Sp), who earlier this winter compared Statkraft’s hydrogen plans to raising precious power “right in the ass”, ensured last year that research into nuclear power was provided with NOK 25 million in the revised national budget. In 2003, a member of the county council, Frank Willy Djuvik (Frp), suggested that Norway should build a nuclear power plant, and that Florø or Gulen at the far end of the Sognefjord could be suitable for the production and storage of nuclear waste. The play was met with head shaking and laughter. Now he states that what was radical “has become mainstream”. – The meeting in Høyanger shows that the population understands the great need for power, and that they want alternatives other than the destruction of Norwegian nature to make it happen, he says. – Nuclear power will not solve the energy shortage Historically, the nuclear debate has been linked to questions of identity, and has had strong opposing forces among conservationists and on the left. In an interview with Aftenposten, the managing director of Norsk Industri, Stein Lier-Hansen, says that the debate about nuclear power is “wasted”. – Norwegian society will never accept that, he says. Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland (Ap) has indicated on a more pragmatic basis that the technology is not mature. – New modular plants are still only at the pilot stage, and not relevant for the Norwegian power supply, he told Nettavisen on Saturday. Hroar Holm Carlsen in Høyanger Høgre rejects the nuclear power proposal on the same basis: The question of power supply is acute, and nuclear power is not a quick enough answer. – Nuclear power will not solve the energy shortage that will occur within 5-7 years. It takes much longer to get this in place. Windmills, on the other hand, are a fairly quick route to more electricity production, at least if they are built in an area close to high-voltage lines with excess capacity, such as in the Høyanger mountains. “Do you want Norway to build modern nuclear power if it means that the price of electricity is reduced?” Yes No Don’t know Show result Professionals do not agree whether nuclear power is part of the solution to the climate problem.
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Public meeting on wind power turned into nuclear power – yes – news Vestland
