Hafslund and Eidsiva have evaluated wind energy in eastern Norway – E24

Energy companies are now exploring the terrain where they already have a strong presence, and believe that production from terrestrial wind energy could begin before 2030.

Energy companies Havslund and Edceva are now collaborating to develop wind energy on land and are looking into areas in eastern Norway.

This initiative is one of very few in the onshore wind field in Norway right now.

The companies are in preliminary exploratory talks with some municipalities and landowners, but won’t say exactly where.

– We’re looking at the whole of eastern Norway, says Executive Vice President and Managing Director Martin S. Lundby at Havslund Vext to E24.

He adds that other parts of the country may also be relevant.

But Eastern Norway is particularly important to the two energy companies because of their strong connection there.

– It is important for us to have a good dialogue with landowners and municipalities, we know a lot of them because we already work there today, and we are wholly owned by the municipalities and district municipalities of Inlandet and Oslo municipality, says Lundby.

The technology has also been developed so that more wind can be captured with larger turbines, adds EVP of Strategy and Growth Petter Myrvold at Eidsiva. This means that it may be possible to achieve profitable production of wind energy also in the east of the country, even if the winds are less than in the west of Norway.

– This means that there will be slightly more different and related areas, says Myrvold.

According to the newspaper glamdalen An area in Solør, between Elverum and Kongsvinger, should be relevant for development.

I think the development is justified in terms of costs now

According to a comprehensive Energy Commission report presented this winter, energy production must increase by 40 new TWh by 2030.

At the same time, Statnett believes that southern Norway may face an energy deficit by 2025, and all of Norway may face an energy deficit from 2027.

The Hafslund and Edseva conferences recognize that it is urgent to generate new energy.

This is the reason why they are now looking towards onshore wind power.

– why now? Shouldn’t you have started this earlier?

– We believe that terrestrial wind is one of the technologies that we need to develop and build more in order to have enough energy in Norway. Then we rely on the terms of the framework, which is already possible, and that there is a technical development that makes it justified in terms of costs, says Myhrvold.

Energy development is largely about access to energy at an affordable price. We must be able to provide energy at a competitive cost to society and industry. He says this is what determines that it is now possible.

A minority on the Energy Committee thinks it may be difficult to build as much energy as is needed by 2030 – for Norway to reach the climate targets we have committed to.

Lundby believes there is a greater chance of success with onshore wind production during that time than there is with offshore wind.

– There’s a lot of talk about offshore winds during the day, and we’re working on that too. But there is no doubt that most offshore wind will arrive after 2030. Solar, hydroelectric and terrestrial wind are likely to arrive even sooner. He says time will tell how much we manage before 2030.

Currently building close to industry

The government wanted to give municipalities more power over wind energy matters, which are often demanding and conflict-ridden.

Leader Lars Sørgaard of the Energy Committee noted that public opposition to onshore wind power could be an obstacle to achieving the 2030 energy development goals.

Lundby in Hafslund says it’s a prerequisite for success with ground-based wind power that companies can do it together with municipalities and landowners.

– Municipalities have real decision-making power, so we have to find solutions that really have the most local support, he says.

– This is why we are looking for areas that have the least potential for conflict. Perhaps it is where something was built in the past, where there is an industry or other local businesses that need strength.

According to managers, it is too early to say what scale the facilities will be and how much production will be.

– We have to take local conditions as a starting point, says Myrvold, and cite the Raskiftet wind power plant in Trysil and Åmot municipalities in Innlandet as a starting point for how they think.

Raskiftet Wind Power Plant was opened in 2018 and consists of 31 turbines with a capacity of 3.6 MW each. Among the owners are Hafslund Echo, which is in turn owned by Havslund, and Edceva.

There may also be smaller wind power plants with fewer turbines, and there may be very few turbines, Myhrvold says.

Here it is a matter of starting from existing natural areas and values, finding what provides adequate production and takes care of local conditions as closely as possible. It has to have a certain scope to be successful, also in relation to society’s need for power, he says.