Heavy industry should be first in line for more electricity, SV’s top officials propose at the national meeting this weekend. – We must realize that not all measures are equally reasonable, says Ådne Naper in SV.
Naper is a member of the SV Central Council, and has written a proposal for a statement that will be discussed at the national meeting this weekend.
SV leaders Torgir Knag Felixense, Kari-Elisabeta Kaski, Lars Haltbriken and Freddy-Andre Ofstegaard are also involved in the proposal.
In the proposal, they list a number of climate measures that they believe should be prioritized. They highlight keystone companies such as Norcem Brevik, Yara Porsgrunn and Ineos/Inovyn in Vestfold, Telemark and Wacker Chemicals in Trøndelag, Finnfjord in Troms, Klemetsrud in Oslo and Eramet and Tizir in Vestland County.
– These are the largest climate measures in Norway, says central board member Ådne Naper in SV to E24.
Power is a scarce commodity in the short and medium term. Then we have to settle on a first come, first served basis. We must realize that not all measures are equally reasonable, he says.
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Recently, there has been a lot of discussion about what the Norwegian force should be used for. Last week, the labor union Industri Energi strongly opposed the power use of Tiktok’s data center in Inlandet. Several mayors in northern Norway have criticized the energy-intensive electrification of the Equinor LNG plant at Hammerfest.
Grid companies are now seeing an influx of companies that want more electricity, such as the oil industry, data centers, green transportation, the processing industry, and battery and hydrogen producers. At the same time, hardly any new power is being developed.
dnv thought Record high electricity prices and projected energy deficits between 2026-2030 will impede the development of a new green industry in Norway.
“If we ever get to the point where there’s an abundance of grids and energy, we might be able to reintroduce first-come, first-served, but we’re not there right now,” says Napper.
Until then, we must prioritize access to and use of electricity where it has the greatest impact on climate, he says.
Naturvernforbundet and Rødt had previously made similar demands to prioritize the power of those politicians believed to be the most deserving beneficiaries.
– No guarantees
Today, those who own and operate the power grid have a duty to connect whoever wants it, if it does not affect the operation of the grid. Everyone who applies to obtain the reserved capacity in the network first.
When asked if politicians had the prerequisites for selecting the representatives who would win the world competition and the most worthy using Norwegian electricity, Naper answered:
– There are no guarantees on anything. But the climatic measures were investigated in the larger groups. This is not a gamble on startups or letterboxing. It is the leading industrial company in the country, and the large global groups that have serious and long-term owners. In this sense, I think the risk of making a mistake is minimal if we prioritize energy for climate measures in mainland industry.
– He receives very good care
Naper acknowledges that the proposal also means the oil industry and data centers must be deprioritized.
Should big oil and gas spill points like Kårstø and Melkøya gain strength?
– I think the oil and gas industry is very well patronized among the Norwegian public. When we discuss climate measures, we are only discussing oil and gas. Oil and gas margins are much larger than in the mainland industry. With this initiative, we want to highlight companies where margins are lower, but emissions reductions are significant, he says.
– We don’t need to pit everything against each other and say categorically that Mongstad, Kårstø and Hammerfest should get zero kilowatt-hours for climate measures. Our goal here is to raise the kilowatt-hour need to cut 12 million tons of carbon dioxide in mainland industry, cuts that don’t get much attention today, says Napper.
He rejects the proposal: – Very wrong
Oil and Energy Minister Terje Asland rejects the need for politicians to draw up lists of people who should be prioritized for power.
– No, we cannot sit and sort out at the company level. It would be very wrong, and it would make Norway unpredictable for future investments. But it is right to develop our system, Aasland tells E24.
It allows for somewhat stricter prioritization of force. In a short time, Aasland will submit an action plan to follow up on the Electricity Grid Commission’s report. There, it is likely that some new standards will be set to link the new consumption to the Norwegian energy system.
– We will keep the commitment of affiliation as before, because we need predictability and security for those who will invest in this country. But the Power Grid Commission has reached a recommendation to introduce maturity criteria. I think it’s wise to take that with you and develop it further, he says.
“Projects cannot retain capacity without being mature enough to make an investment, and they cannot be first come, first served in these operations,” says Aasland.
Ready in no time
The Minister of Energy believes that there may be a need for more energy prioritization after projects mature, particularly between existing and new industry.
We are in the process of this and will be finished soon. The government has been very clear that we want to further develop the existing industry. Looking at more priorities is very important, because we have a very large influx of players who want to get online. Then we have to have a few more criteria in addition to the maturity criteria, he says.
Is it possible to build enough energy for everyone who wants it until 2030?
– It all depends on how things develop, including the total production capacity. We now have control over the security of supply, and it is of course important to be able to import electricity when it is very windy and there is high production in the countries around us. It will then be possible to deal with a situation with increased consumption growth, Asland says.
– But we must use all available technologies to get enough power into the system, we must build more networks and use energy more efficiently, he says.
Refers to the support package of the United States of America
Senior SV officials believe that the need for large-scale restructuring in Norway will increase further due to increased competition to attract low-emissions companies. The United States has introduced a comprehensive support package for the law to reduce inflation, and the European Union has recently submitted a response.
SV previously said they wanted a similar green subsidy package in Norway. Industry players such as battery manufacturers Corvus Energy and Freyr are also hoping for Norwegian support, and say IRA backing could draw activity to the United States.
SV activities that want to be given priority in industrial investment in Norway include floating offshore wind, green marine industry, hydrogen and ammonia production, battery production, bio-industry and carbon dioxide purification.
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