Arendalsuka, which some may call the Norwegian festival of democracy, is a very important venue and meeting point for policy discussion and development in all areas of the Norwegian society!
In Arendal you may during this week find a stage debating or a stand presenting, almost any current topic. The visit by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the traditional party-leader-debate Thursday evening, may have been the highlights, but at the more than 2000 events some of our members like Fiskarlaget, Arctic University, Tschudi and ICR, and probably many more, took part and contributed to the success of the Week.
In addition to meeting with them we tied many new contacts to growing companies in our key sectors maritime, aquaculture and energy/green transition looking for export opportunities in the eastern markets.
Rebuilding the Ukraine – the topic of rebuilding the war-torn country was raised in a number of forums, and meeting the key players afterwards opened the opportuntity for us and our members to become more engaged.
For our members we are interested to find out how the 75 bill NOK Nansen program can help us get started with reconstuction and investments projects in the country. This issue was brought up already in the first debate between NORAD and Ukranian NGO’s working on rebuilding schools. The NGO’s want more direct bi-lateral support. No conclusion was reached, but we were given signals that more tools for private/public cooperation probably will be set up in the future. The key sentence repeated was “…. for as long as it takes”.
The second presentation was about the potential for investing in and rebuilding the energy infrastructure of Ukraine. Rystad Energy pointed out that the county is large – about 14 times the size of Denmark – and that the capacity factor of wind power could reach as high as 44%, which is just only a little below what can be expected in Norway from new turbines. Also the opportunities for solar energy in different forms and shapes are large. Norwegian companies like Emergy and Scatec were leading renewable investors in the country, but now many of those assets have to be rebuilt.
The big question was; should we wait or get going? The recommendation by those already established in the country – like Itera, was to get going, because otherwise there will be less space for Norwegian engagement and green intiatives. We can learn from the Danes and the Finns in this respect.
The future of the Arctic – The topic of dialogue with the reindeer herders has been simmering in the public sphere since the Norwegian high court made their ruling about the Fosen wind park, and the whole issue was given a new spark of actuality after the government approved the plans for electrifying the Melkøya LNG plant last week, aiming to use locally produced renewable energy. This topic was naturally high on the agenda i Arendal and was discussed at many venues.
Our member – The International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR) – was established by the Norwegian Government in 2005 in Kautokeino, as a contribution to the unique international cooperation of circumpolar reindeer herding peoples.
We met Professor of Arctic University and Scientific Advisor Svein D. Mathiesen over a traditional Sámi breakfast in the Lavvo at Føyheia and he highlighted the point that we need to solve our differences. “If not, these could be exploited by our adversaries and become even harder to correct. There is a risk that the current situation may cause us some reputational damage.”
That the development of the Arctic region is becoming very important, was made clear by the presence of the diplomatic community.
Michael Horler, Counsellor at the Embassy of Canada to Norway, pointed out that we are talking about a huge territory and we need to make sure the development of the area will be sustainable. The impacts of the climate change are very apparent in this area and the infrastructure is being destroid as a consequense. Also the livelihood of the people needs to be secured given that permafrost degradation is possibly the biggest environmental issue affecting the traditional life beyond the arctic circle.
Sharon Hudson-Dean, Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy to Norway, stressed that the US is fully committed to the region. A US Diplomatic office in Tromsø is being set up and the White House will nominate an ambassador at large for the Arctic. There will be more funding into Arctic programs for education and development like access to internet, and the impact of the IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) will also be noticed.
Svein’s views and experience are important to help us understand the intricate dynamics of the discussion regarding land use in our northernmost region and to find a path forward. There are enormous opportuntitues for investments and business development on- and offshore, but it has to be done correctly.
How will Norway be able to produce More Energy at Lower Prices while Saving the Climate – This was of course the absolutely most frequently discussed topic in Arendal this year – as it was last year! And even if the most recent report from NVE slightly contradicts Statnett in stating that we might not actually run short of energy, it seems most stakeholders agree that we need more green energy soon. The CEO’s of Statnett, Equinor, Kongsberg Gruppen, Statkraft, Norsk Hydro and Yara met on Thursday and repeated this statement unanimously.
On the other end of the spectrum we have small companies delivering smart innovation and solutions to reach these high goals. The list is too long to mention, but Fredrikstad-based Hyke lauched their electric city-ferry in Arendal and export is key to their growth. We will be talking to them soon!
