(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
One of those who has closely followed the work of the new red-green government is editor of the analysis and news service KraftNytt and Sver, Kjell Rønningsbakk.
After reviewing the government declaration, he believes that the red-green government has the best energy program ever presented by a government in Norway.
- There are plenty of SV positions here. The Conservatives lost the battle to facilitate the sale of our hydropower to the highest bidder. The current restitution scheme shall be maintained in such a way as to ensure public and national ownership. Now it remains to get the Minister of Petroleum and Energy to instruct the officials before he puts them on the plane to Brussels to negotiate with ESA, the EU's control body for the EEA agreement. There they will tell ESA that Norway became a member of the EEA in 1994. We have had the repatriation scheme for about a hundred years. EEA membership does not have retroactive effect on our management of natural resources. It is not against me that the EU can finally experience a Norwegian government that not only almost automatically accepts what the EU comes up with, but which is in our interests. The EU has never experienced this before, says Kjell Rønningsbakk.
Crucial turning
The question of how Norway should use the gas power resources that exist on the shelf has previously cost governments life. In the new red-green government, there are also enough explosives in this area to divide the three government parties.
- Purification of CO2 will make it possible to end the gas dispute and find a method that allows us to utilize the enormous gas and oil resources in the North Sea without destroying the climate. Because a gas power plant only uses up to 60 percent of the energy when the gas is burned, I would recommend that we do not build many gas power plants. The fact that Naturkraft's gas-fired power plant will remain standing for a year or so without CO2 purification is not so important in the long run. The most important thing is that all gas-fired power plants after this will have CO2 purification, says Kjell Rønningsbakk.
Energy-intensive
Kjell Rønningsbak points out that a difficult area will be securing electricity for the power-intensive industry at a price the industry can live with. The last long-term power contracts that the Storting awarded to industry in 1999 had a power price of 14 øre. Now the spot price is around 23-25 øre. The industry cannot live with that. The government will "study and establish a separate industrial power market."
- The red-green government can not go down in history as the government that saw one-sided industrial sites were closed down. Then the choice is either to ensure access to power at prices that the industry can pay or to contribute to new business that can replace the jobs that will be lost.
He urges those from the SV who now have positions in the government to work so that there are many issues that get a clear and distinct SV mark, so that in four years the party can go out to the voters and show what has actually happened.
- In the energy area, this will be particularly important as there is another party – Sp – which controls the energy policy in the new government. SV has developed a solid energy policy that is absolutely crucial for realizing the environmental goals, says Rønningsbakk.
