The Center Party received 3.8 percent in the poll and would only have received three seats in the Storting. The government parties together get 18.0 percent.
A little over a year after Norway's “most unpopular government of all time” led by Jonas Størelaunched "Norway's largest greenhouse gas cut", the Centre Party's parliamentary leaders in Nordland and Finnmark believe that the plans must already be completely scrapped.
We believe that the electrification with shore power on Melkøya must be canceled. It is not realistic to develop more power or a network in Finnmark as was the assumption, says Heidi Holmgren.
She is a sitting member of parliament from Finnmark. Holmgren has the support of her party colleague in Nordland.
There is no crisis for the environment that the gas power plant on Melkøya must continue to operate. The gas must be produced, and it must be used. Whether it is used on Melkøya or in Germany does not play a major role in global emissions, says Siv Mossleth.
Thus, the two Centre Party leaders in the north are going against their own government's decision from last summer.
It stated that Melkøya should be powered by electricity from 2030, provided that the state managed to develop enough power for this. The current power capacity in Northern Norway should not be used.
Today, the Melkøya plant gets its power from a polluting gas power plant. And thus uses gas that Equinor could sell abroad. In order for the gas plant to run on electricity, the government wants more wind power plants to be built in Finnmark.
Center Party leader and Finance Minister Trygve Vedum supported the decision. It was described as “the largest greenhouse gas cut ever adopted by a Norwegian government.”
A year and a half later, the political landscape in Finnmark looks different. In a November poll, the Center Party lost more than two out of three voters in Finnmark and was eliminated from the Storting.
Now, Mossleth and Holmgren believe it is time to scrap the plans to electrify Melkøya.
Many fear that electrification of the LNG plant on Melkøya will consume so much electricity that it will hinder other development in Finnmark.
It is completely unrealistic that Equinor can disconnect the gas power plant on Melkøya and replace the energy with shore power, Mossleth tells NRK.
No, there are such major conflicts over land in Finnmark that it is unrealistic to believe that new power will come in by that time.
Strong limitations were placed in that decision. For my part, I think that the fact that the gas power plant would still be standing after 2030 is a signal that it will probably be used.
At the same time, Mossleth and Holmgren are asking Statnett to release the power that has been withheld for Equinor, given that electrification would take place without new power.
Last summer, Minister of Petroleum and Energy Terje Aasland opened the door for this power to be "released" and used for other purposes.
Statnett is now working to find out where and when this can happen, said Aasland.
But NRK has now received confirmation from Statnett that the power is still being withheld.
Regarding the reservation of 350 MW for the electrification of Melkøya, this has been maintained, since this project is mature and ongoing, writes communications manager Siri Gjørtz to NRK.
At the same time, she points out that Statnett has released power from other projects for use from Narvik and northwards.
This is not enough, say the SP leaders in Finnmark and Nordland.
Statnett must now release every single one of the 350 MW reserved for Equinor, told Heidi Holmgren and Siv Mossleth.
Because more power is needed. I want to use our valuable hydro and wind power for things other than electrifying the oil sector.
The Ministry of Energy writes to NRK that it is Statnett that is responsible for assessing whether it is operationally sound to provide connections to new customers or increased capacity to existing customers in the transmission network.
They refer to the same redistribution of power as Statnett. A total of over 460 MW. Enough power for about half a million households.
State Secretary Elisabeth Sæther believes the government's power and industrial boost for Finnmark has already yielded results:
As early as the autumn of 2023, Statnett decided to reserve capacity for 463 MW of increased consumption north of Ofoten. Parts of the capacity were a redistribution of reserved capacity to customers who were no longer considered sufficiently mature, while just under half of the capacity was capacity as a result of the government's Power and Industry Boost for Finnmark in connection with the decision to electrify Melkøya. This shows that policy works. We are strengthening the basis for value creation in the oil and gas industry, while at the same time creating opportunities for more industrial development in the north through the Power and Industry Boost in Finnmark.
Source: NRK
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