news has been in contact with over 20 mountain municipalities where cabin tourism is a major industry, where we have asked if they think the high electricity prices will affect cabin tourism. The overall tone is that mayors, councilors and municipal directors fear the high electricity prices will lead to empty cabins for the winter. – We are worried. It can be difficult both for the trade stand and for the alpine resorts, says municipal director Eva Rismo in Nore and Uvdal municipality. As the scale creeps downwards, pessimism spreads in the country’s largest mountain hut municipalities. There are already signs that fewer people will use their mountain huts this autumn than usual. And it can get worse when the freezing temperatures arrive. The consequences for local businesses can be great. Read also: Crisis for the village if the shop is closed – If the cabin people do not use their cabins in the future, it will hit the business world hard, with fewer assignments and less trade, says mayor Jon Halvor Midtmageli (Sp) in Øyer municipality. CONCERNED: Jon Halvor Midtmageli, mayor of Øyer, believes the consequences for local business will be great if the cabin people do not show up. Photo: news Midtmageli is worried about the development. – There is a storm with electricity prices, interest rates, food prices and fuel. With an already strained municipal economy, this will have a very negative effect, emphasizes Mageli. The concern is shared by many. – The electricity price for holiday homes is so high that it must be expected that the number of days the cabins are used will decrease. Then the economic ripple effects for local trade and experience industries will also decrease, says municipal director Kjersti Forbord Jensås in Røros municipality. Read also: It’s no wonder people are a little afraid of the dark now – Statement – Will have a very negative impact Forbord Jensås fears that the ripple effects could be large. The recreational population is important for the commercial industry in the cottage municipalities, such as Røros. There are small margins in the trading industry, so it will be clearly felt in this industry if the number of days in the cabins or the willingness to pay is reduced as a consequence of high electricity prices, Forbord Jensås emphasizes. The recreational population is also important for cultural life and the experience industry, such as events and festivals. The same anxiety for winter is experienced in Øystre Slidre. – Reduced use of the cabins has a major impact on local businesses such as trade and adventure businesses, so it will be serious, says councilor Jostein Aanestad. The mayor of the large cottage municipality of Hol, where Norefjell is located, among others, is also concerned about the cold season. – Many people will probably limit the length of their stay in the cabin beyond the winter. If there are fewer cabin tourists, sales will fail. It is disturbing, says mayor Petter Rukke (Ap) in Hol. Believes the municipality must share in the power income Erik Alver is head of Sjusjøen velforening in Norway’s largest cottage municipality Ringsaker. He says that the cabin owners are now worried and despairing that the costs of electricity are increasing sharply. Many say they cannot afford to use their cabins. ROPER WARSO: Erik Alver, manager of Sjusjøen, believes that both the state and the municipality must step in and help the cabin owners with the high electricity prices. Photo: Aleksandr Nedbaev / news The charity on Sjusjøen, together with eight other charities, is now sending letters both to the state and to Ringsaker municipality. The charities expect the politicians to understand the seriousness and believe that measures are necessary. – This is a warning from us about the consequences of the high electricity price both for cabin owners and for the companies that make a living from cabin tourism, Alver points out. Read also: Think cabin owners are treated differently Affects ordinary people – It is ordinary people who have a cabin in our area. The cabins in the mountains are the municipality’s gold. We in the wells up in Ringsakerfjellet think it is reasonable that the municipality knows its visiting hours, and gives something back, says Alver. The charities believe that the municipality must, among other things, pay back some of what they earn from the municipal electricity company. – It is very important for the municipality that there are stable operations in the local communities up in the mountains here, that the shops make money, that there are people on the slopes. Then the municipality should contribute in the current situation, says Alver. The associations in Ringsaker believe that the state must also step in with some form of electricity support for holiday homes, and are sending a letter to the Storting about this. – But many people then think that the electricity subsidy might go to heating cottage palaces, garages, yards and jacuzzis? – In our area, there are sober cabins and standard cabins. I don’t know anyone here who has either jacuzzis or heated roads or anything, he says. NOTHING TO GIVE: Anita Ihle Steen, mayor of Ringsaker, is not in the mood to give electricity support to cottage owners Photo: Aleksandr Nedbaev / news Cottagers are not prioritized But Anita Ihle Steen, mayor of Ringsaker (Ap), emphasizes that the municipality has no plan to “give something back” to the cabin people. She says that the cottagers come further back in the queue, after agriculture and business, when it comes to who will possibly receive electricity support. – No, as the matter stands now and the situation is for everyone, there are no immediate plans for that. We have many cabins in the municipality, and that is important for us and for the business world. At the same time, we are in a crisis and it is far more challenging than having a cabin, she says. – If people can’t afford to go to the cabin, surely that will affect the business community in Ringsaker? – Yes, of course it will, because these are important services that we have in the municipality. At the same time, it is the case that when there is a crisis, you have to prioritize, and then the individual has to find out if this is something the individual wants to prioritize using. None of the municipalities news has been in contact with believes it is appropriate to support the cottage owners directly financially to keep the wheels turning in the business world. The concern for the consequences of electricity prices nevertheless means that many municipalities are now putting the conditions in place so that people can easily report moving to their cottage, and thus receive electricity support. – We make it free of charge to report moving for a period, says municipal director Eva Rismo in Nore and Uvdal municipality. – We have arranged for a temporary change of use, says municipal director Håvard Gangås in Ringebu municipality. The hope then is that the cottagers will leave more money in the municipalities and thus keep the wheels turning in the local businesses, and thus secure the tax income for the municipal coffers. Also read: – Can’t afford to go to the cabin
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The power crisis can hit mountain municipalities hard – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
