12 WHY NORWAY AS A GREEN BATTERY …
301
Some of the parties on the right are positively inclined. Stefan Heggelund
of the Conservative Party for instance argues that NorthConnect will be
socially profitable and annually cut 2 million tons of CO 2 (NRK 2020).
However, the government is bound by a 2018 agreement with the Labor
Party and the Green Party that no new cables can be built until Norway
has gained necessary experience from the two cables under construction
and thorough analyses have been completed (and that any new cable
must be socially profitable) (Høyre 2018). This compromise preserves
some consensus about the future, but one that is far weaker than the past
consensus.
The Conservative Party and the Liberal Party (and conceivably the
Labor Party) will approve of more cables. Several parties are, however,
unambiguously opposed. The Progress Party (since leaving the government in January 2020) will not allow new cables that will produce
more expensive electricity for households, the Socialist Left Party will not
allow private cables, the Red Party argues that Norway should prioritize
providing energy-intensive industry with cheap electricity over exporting
electricity, whereas the Center Party also emphasizes that cables are a
matter of critical infrastructure, over which Norway needs to preserve
national control. These all seek the outright rejection of NorthConnect and a prohibitive stance on future cables (Dagbladet 2019b; Filter
Nyheter 2019b; NRK 2020; Stortinget 2019). In line with the compromise between the government and the Labor Party and the Green Party,
MOPE has however neither rejected nor approved the concession application, but as of March 2020 put it on indefinite hold, stating that it
currently has no parliamentary mandate to make a decision in either
direction (ABC Nyheter 2019; E24 2020).
Underlying the different political stances are miscellaneous rationales.
The Labor Party and the Conservatives arguably represent the Norwegian political mainstream, and their stance, whether they support industry
or the power sector, is ultimately one of utilizing Norwegian natural
resources in a manner that maximizes social profits. Climate is not
unimportant, but clearly secondary. The dissenting voices advocate arguments against higher electricity prices and private cables and embrace the
importance of national control over natural resources and energy policy.
Furthermore, notwithstanding their particular stance on Norway as a
green battery, every Norwegian political party stresses the importance
of a well-functioning power exchange with the neighboring countries for
energy security reasons.
301
Some of the parties on the right are positively inclined. Stefan Heggelund
of the Conservative Party for instance argues that NorthConnect will be
socially profitable and annually cut 2 million tons of CO 2 (NRK 2020).
However, the government is bound by a 2018 agreement with the Labor
Party and the Green Party that no new cables can be built until Norway
has gained necessary experience from the two cables under construction
and thorough analyses have been completed (and that any new cable
must be socially profitable) (Høyre 2018). This compromise preserves
some consensus about the future, but one that is far weaker than the past
consensus.
The Conservative Party and the Liberal Party (and conceivably the
Labor Party) will approve of more cables. Several parties are, however,
unambiguously opposed. The Progress Party (since leaving the government in January 2020) will not allow new cables that will produce
more expensive electricity for households, the Socialist Left Party will not
allow private cables, the Red Party argues that Norway should prioritize
providing energy-intensive industry with cheap electricity over exporting
electricity, whereas the Center Party also emphasizes that cables are a
matter of critical infrastructure, over which Norway needs to preserve
national control. These all seek the outright rejection of NorthConnect and a prohibitive stance on future cables (Dagbladet 2019b; Filter
Nyheter 2019b; NRK 2020; Stortinget 2019). In line with the compromise between the government and the Labor Party and the Green Party,
MOPE has however neither rejected nor approved the concession application, but as of March 2020 put it on indefinite hold, stating that it
currently has no parliamentary mandate to make a decision in either
direction (ABC Nyheter 2019; E24 2020).
Underlying the different political stances are miscellaneous rationales.
The Labor Party and the Conservatives arguably represent the Norwegian political mainstream, and their stance, whether they support industry
or the power sector, is ultimately one of utilizing Norwegian natural
resources in a manner that maximizes social profits. Climate is not
unimportant, but clearly secondary. The dissenting voices advocate arguments against higher electricity prices and private cables and embrace the
importance of national control over natural resources and energy policy.
Furthermore, notwithstanding their particular stance on Norway as a
green battery, every Norwegian political party stresses the importance
of a well-functioning power exchange with the neighboring countries for
energy security reasons.