Bjelland Eriksen was both optimistic and engaged in his meeting with key industry players, as they shared concrete plans and expectations to the authorities.
On Tuesday, August 6, Haugaland Business Park had the pleasure of welcoming Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, Minister of Climate and Environment, and his entourage for the EnergiRike conference. Although Bjelland Eriksen is well acquainted with the business park and the planned and ongoing activities here, this was the minister's first visit to the park.
The visit was an excellent opportunity to show that Haugalandet will be a showcase for how to achieve national climate goals while establishing new industry and jobs. Key industry players (Hydro, Eramet, Gassco, Equinor Kårstø, Horisont Energi and Haugaland Kraft) shared experiences from their work, as well as their expectations of the authorities. CCS Haugalandet and Industrial Symbiosis Haugalandet were highlighted as important projects where people are working together to find solutions. The minister asked engaged questions and showed great interest in the collaborative projects.
Collaboration is key
During the EnergiRike conference earlier in the day, Bjelland Eriksen took part in a panel discussion, where he expressed strong optimism that we will succeed with the green shift. The importance of collaboration was highlighted, a theme that recurred in the contributions from all industry players. The Minister's words on stage set a constructive and optimistic tone for the rest of the visit.
A joint bus drove from the conference to the business park. The mayors of Haugesund, Tysvær and Bokn were also present - three of the five owner municipalities in Haugaland Business Park. Sigmund Lier, CEO of Haugaland Vekst, opened the show by emphasizing the importance of cooperation and strategic business development to ensure growth and jobs in the region. Monika Lindanger, Mayor of Tysvær Municipality, highlighted how all the municipalities work together to achieve good solutions for Haugalandet.
Great opportunities for new industry
On arrival at Haugaland Næringspark, general manager Tiril Fjeld gave a guided tour of the park. Here, the visitors were informed about both planned and upcoming establishments. Norcable is one of the most recent establishments in the business park, and officially opened on August 6. The factory makes power cables with green aluminum and recently won a major contract for delivery to Statnett's Blåfalli-Gismarvik project.
Fjeld highlighted the park's unique features, such as the flat topography with solid rock that enables large-scale industry, and that new power comes to the region through one of Norway's largest substationswhich is under construction in the park.
- The development of infrastructure is still in focus, and now especially to ensure as many synergies as possible between players within the park," explained Tiril Fjeld, general manager of Haugaland Næringspark.
The last stop of the tour was the deep water quay, where Rune Halseid, CPO Ammonia at Horizon Energy, presented the plans for their plannedCO2 hub at Gismarvik Port. It is planned to both receiveCO2 from Europe and local volumes, with an injection capacity of up to 24 million tons ofCO2 annually . This is equivalent to half of Norway's annual greenhouse gas emissions, and could become an important national infrastructure for handlingCO2.
Support and stable framework conditions are crucial
After the tour, the industry players gave short presentations to the minister. All of them emphasized the need for cooperation and support in order to achieve the climate goals - both among the industry players in the projects, but also from the authorities.
The industrial collaborations underway in Haugalandet related to carbon capture and storage (CCS) and industrial symbiosis are pioneering work. It is crucial that the framework conditions are clarified as soon as possible, and that support and incentives are provided during a transitional period so that some will choose to take the lead.
"We would like to thank Minister of Climate and Environment Andreas Bjelland Eriksen and his entourage for their visit to Haugaland Business Park. We look forward to further dialogue and cooperation to realize the exciting opportunities that lie ahead. Haugaland Business Park will continue to be a driving force for green industry and sustainable development on Haugalandet.