Haugaland Business Park is a collaborative project between five municipalities on Haugalandet that has worked purposefully for 20 years to prepare land and infrastructure for new industries. "We're experiencing a great deal of demand from industrial players who want to establish future-oriented industry here.
While waiting for the license to be granted by the government for the construction of a new 420 kV line from Blåfalli to Gismarvik, several foreign players are sitting on the fence. "We're now finding that it's the Rogaland companies that aren't taking the time to sit on the fence, but are rolling up their sleeves and continuing to work with the clear expectation that the license is just around the corner.
Last week, we signed an option agreement with Horizon Energy for the establishment of a CO2 terminal in the business park, and last year we signed a letter of intent with Beyonder as a location for their large-scale battery cell factory. Both Rogaland companies, and both with projects that are important contributions to the energy transition towards both Norwegian and European climate goals.
Horizon Energy, together with Neptune Energy, will establish Norway's first commercial carbon capture and storage project, Errai. It will provide transport of carbon, including from German industry, to the CO2 terminal here in Rogaland, and further in pipes to permanent storage on the Norwegian shelf.
Beyonder will produce battery cells on a large scale, based on a new and more sustainable technology. These are battery cells that Europe and the world need in the energy transition we are in the midst of, and which can also be important for storing surplus energy in an increasingly weather-based energy system.
In addition to the establishments in the park, here in Rogaland we have a particularly strong industrial region that is constantly working to find innovative solutions to equip its businesses for the future. For example, we have CCS Haugalandet, a collaborative project between various industrial players who want to cut their greenhouse gas emissions, which was awarded funding from Gassnova just before Christmas. The project will carry out a technical-economic analysis for a joint transport and storage solution for carbon. The partners in the project are Hydro Karmøy, Gassco, Equinor, Eramet, Sintef and Haugaland Næringspark.
During the meeting, Minister Vestre had the opportunity to greet the industrial players who, with the Errai project, will make a major and important contribution to Norway and the rest of Europe achieving their climate goals. The mayors of the business park's owner municipalities also welcomed Horizon Energy and Neptune Energy. "The project and infrastructure will be of great importance to both existing and new industry - both on Haugalandet and the rest of Rogaland.
Haugaland Næringspark has several thousand acres ready for new industry, and takes the challenge of county mayor Marianne Chesak in stride and with great pleasure! We will lead the way, welcome the hungry companies to the table and set the table, and advocate even more cooperation across municipal boundaries throughout Rogaland.
Thank you to NHO Rogaland for a good meeting day at Sola, where it became clear that Rogaland will continue to be an important energy county in the years to come! We look forward to an exciting 2023!
Tiril Fjeld
General Manager of Haugaland Næringspark