LYSAKER (Nettavisen): The Energy Commission presented its main report a few weeks ago, which wants “more of everything”. This represents a massive development of new energy, but it is met with opposition about new hydropower or onshore wind power.
There is also political opposition to offshore wind, which threatens fish stocks. But when asked whether we will avoid the massive development of new power in the future, Statcraft CEO Christian Reining-Dønsen replies:
– No, to have a new green industry and to transform the industry we have into a zero-emissions future requires massive amounts of new energy. We will at the same time position Norwegian industry for what the world needs in the future.
– Offshore winds are more important than land winds in all situations, but we need to do both.
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Nice to not blow all the time
But wind turbines are probably 40-50 percent efficient. They are far from fully utilized and it doesn’t blow all the time.
– Norway has good air conditions. A lot of energy can be extracted from each mill, theoretically at most, it blows hard all year round. We get a lower percentage than that, but we have to be happy that it doesn’t blow all the time in Norway, counters Reining-Dønsen.
But then there was opposition. A large wind power project between Høyanger and Sunnfjord in Vestland County is to be investigated by Hydro, Eviny and Zephyr. The planned investment was NOK 3-4 billion, but met with resistance from landowners. Local politicians in Hoyangar are divided in their opinions and the plan has sent them into the thinking box.
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Large wind resources
– Do you fear increasing opposition to offshore wind power?
– No, I think offshore wind power has a future, solutions can also be found when it comes to reindeer grazing. Norway has enormous wind resources, but most of what we have going forward is offshore. We can build something more on land.
Reindeer drives are now central to a controversial wind power project on the Fosen peninsula in Trøndelag.
At a press conference on Thursday, Rynning-Tønnesen made it clear that the Føssen ruling sets a precedent for other wind power developments. So, he understands that it will take a long time politically to deal with the matter and get a decision from the Ministry of Oil and Energy.
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Much more than Phosen
– It is important to clarify the principles here, which mitigate the measures wind turbine developers take to continue to facilitate good reindeer husbandry in an area. So I believe it is fundamentally important beyond Fossen, says the Stadtkraft boss.
– Do you understand the opposition of reindeer owners and campaigners?
– Yes. A long time has passed since the Supreme Court decision (over 500 days, editor’s note), so that’s understandable.
Among other things, Statecraft has proposed that roads not be plowed in the area in order to find solutions that both sides can live with.
Stop menstruating
– This is a move, because reindeer follow plowed roads. Stopping the mills during grazing periods is another possible measure, and a third measure could be to find alternative grazing areas and arrange for reindeer to roam there. There are many things that can be discussed here, says Rynning-Tønnesen.
– If the decision is to remove the turbines at Fosson, what ripple effects will this have?
– There will be less production in Trøndelag with a tight power balance. There is a revenue side where we as owners do not receive income, municipalities and states do not receive tax revenue, and landowners do not receive ground rent for these areas.
Wind turbines on the Fosen Peninsula produce 2 TWh of power per year, 2 billion kilowatt hours. This roughly corresponds to the electricity consumption of the city of Trondheim over the course of a year.
– Will a shutdown primarily affect prices or the entire energy security for Trøndelag?
– I’d like to believe that Trøndelag still wants energy, so it’s a question of price, the answer.
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No nuclear power
Many advocate the development of nuclear power to address the growing energy demand in Norway. Nuclear power is more energy efficient and requires less space than, for example, wind power. Norsk Industri is now open to nuclear power in the long term, but the Statkraft boss says not.
– I believe that nuclear power is not a good solution, nor is it a necessary solution for Norway. Reining-Tönsen says that developing more wind power and hydropower, both onshore and offshore, would be cheaper and not pose the risk of nuclear power.
Energy efficiency is a response from development opponents to what the Energy Commission believes is large-scale power development.
– There is an important factor, that energy efficiency is the sum of several measures that can save a percentage per year. Over time, this is an important part of energy balance. But Rynning-Tønnesen’s clear judgment is that it will not change the massive development of power to create green change.
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