On Wednesday, May 15, Statnett and Fagne held a dialogue meeting on the area plan for power supply in Haugalandet. A united industrial region heard that the region is strongt prioritized in Statnett's future plans.. The region also emphasized the importance of the process proceeding as planned.
Haugalandet is dependent on increased capacity in the electricity grid to support the ongoing electrification and business development in the region.
At the dialog meeting last week, Elisabeth Vike Vardheim, acting Executive Vice President of Statnett, presented changes and updates from the previous area plan. Statnett shared what development trends they see for the transmission and regional grid in the region and received input for the work on updating the area plan.
Several of the participants took the microphone to thank for the cooperation and emphasize the importance of this work, and that it must be a priority to also quickly put in place the next steps in the area plan; a voltage upgrade between Sauda and Gismarvik, as well as upgrading the current 300kV Hydro lines.
Important next step
Mayor of Tysvær municipality, Monika Lindanger, thanked Statnett for the good process in recent years, and thanked them for prioritizing Haugalandet.
- The license granted for the new 420 kV substation is important for all players on Haugalandet, and of course for further business development in Tysvær municipality, at Kårstø and in Norway's largest regulated business park, Haugaland Business Park. Predictability is important for the industry, and it is very important that stages 3 and 4 of Statnett's area plan arrive in 2030. We look forward to further cooperation and dialog," says Lindanger.
Sigmund Lier, CEO of Haugaland Vekst, was also clear about why it is important to prioritize the power needs of Haugalandet and Sunnhordland.
- Haugaland Industrial Park is the country's largest fully-regulated industrial park, and the best location for industrial development in Norway in the years ahead. It will therefore be important for the whole country to secure access to power here. "Statnett's area plan has five different stages for our area, and the license granted for the line between Blåfalli and Gismarvik last year is stage number 2. That's all well and good, but if we're to develop the region further, it's important to get started on stages 3 and 4. This is important so that Haugaland Industrial Park can provide power to new establishments and existing industry in the region," says Lier.
Crucial for investment decisions
General Manager of Haugaland Næringspark, Tiril Fjeld, is positive after the dialog meeting.
- For us, a predictable and good area plan means that the larger industrial establishments can make investment decisions in the coming years. These are important industries for the jobs of the future and will provide great value creation for Haugalandet and the rest of the country. "We have several different players who want to be close to existing industry in order to be in synergy with them. With pre-zoned areas, good logistics via our ports, and access to renewable energy, we are an important part of the realization of low-carbon industries that want to establish themselves in Norway," says Fjeld.