298 E. MOE ET AL.
While Statnett does not need to run a profit, climate is not included
in their social profitability mandate. It is an important bonus, but Skjelbred emphasized that they have no tools by which to incorporate climate
concerns into their calculations. He however also stated that while reliability of energy supply is priority number one, there really is a triangle of
priorities: reliability of supply is at the top, and at the two bottom corners
we find value creation for consumers and producers, and environment and
climate. Magne Fauli (2018, interview), industrial policy adviser of Energi
Norge—an interest organization comprising 275 member companies in
the power sector—added his take on the climate rationale behind subsea
cables: “We built cables and power exchange with the Danes long before
it was relevant to include climate concerns in this.” While stressing that
climate is indeed important, it would not alone have garnered support for
cables.
Not surprisingly, the main interest of the power sector is to increase
the Norwegian transmission and renewable energy capacity. Climate is
certainly used as an argument but is clearly secondary. Several of our
interviewees were however frustrated with the trade union complaint that
the power sector is sacrificing Norwegian industry to sell electricity to
Europe. Among others, the Electrician and IT workers union (EL og
IT) (Andersen, Heien, Hennum, 2018, interview) labeled this complaint
nonsensical. It would be completely counterproductive for the power
sector to let any green battery idea go at the expense of Norwegian
industry as Norwegian industry is a far bigger customer than foreign
countries will ever be, meaning the dependence goes both ways. Arguably,
the rise in electricity prices from cable construction will merely bring
prices back to where they used to be before the recent influx of wind
power, leaving industry with little to worry about (E24 2017).
In sum, the power sector holds the real value of Norway’s “battery” to
lie in power exchange, not exports, and the fears of increased prices are
exaggerated. However, social and monetary profits are the key rationales
for the power sector. Climate is certainly also used to argue for wind
power and cables but is clearly secondary, or simply a bonus.
The Politicians
It is not clear who in Norway was the originator of the term green battery,
but among the politicians, in 2011 PM Jens Stoltenberg and presentday Labor Party leader Jonas Gahr Støre were early adopters. It was the
While Statnett does not need to run a profit, climate is not included
in their social profitability mandate. It is an important bonus, but Skjelbred emphasized that they have no tools by which to incorporate climate
concerns into their calculations. He however also stated that while reliability of energy supply is priority number one, there really is a triangle of
priorities: reliability of supply is at the top, and at the two bottom corners
we find value creation for consumers and producers, and environment and
climate. Magne Fauli (2018, interview), industrial policy adviser of Energi
Norge—an interest organization comprising 275 member companies in
the power sector—added his take on the climate rationale behind subsea
cables: “We built cables and power exchange with the Danes long before
it was relevant to include climate concerns in this.” While stressing that
climate is indeed important, it would not alone have garnered support for
cables.
Not surprisingly, the main interest of the power sector is to increase
the Norwegian transmission and renewable energy capacity. Climate is
certainly used as an argument but is clearly secondary. Several of our
interviewees were however frustrated with the trade union complaint that
the power sector is sacrificing Norwegian industry to sell electricity to
Europe. Among others, the Electrician and IT workers union (EL og
IT) (Andersen, Heien, Hennum, 2018, interview) labeled this complaint
nonsensical. It would be completely counterproductive for the power
sector to let any green battery idea go at the expense of Norwegian
industry as Norwegian industry is a far bigger customer than foreign
countries will ever be, meaning the dependence goes both ways. Arguably,
the rise in electricity prices from cable construction will merely bring
prices back to where they used to be before the recent influx of wind
power, leaving industry with little to worry about (E24 2017).
In sum, the power sector holds the real value of Norway’s “battery” to
lie in power exchange, not exports, and the fears of increased prices are
exaggerated. However, social and monetary profits are the key rationales
for the power sector. Climate is certainly also used to argue for wind
power and cables but is clearly secondary, or simply a bonus.
The Politicians
It is not clear who in Norway was the originator of the term green battery,
but among the politicians, in 2011 PM Jens Stoltenberg and presentday Labor Party leader Jonas Gahr Støre were early adopters. It was the