Power Plant
In 1986, Friends of the Earth Norway claimed that it was not necessary to regulate controversial rivers because natural gas would cover all energy needs for the next century. The energy and environmental debate in Norway was still under the influence of the Alta River conflict a few years earlier. In the 1980s, there was focus on avoiding a new hydropower conflict and preserving the remaining unregulated waterways in Norway (according to Andreas Tjernshaugen’s book ”Gasskraft – tjue års klimakamp”).
Author: Sigurd Aarvig
The Brundtland Commission’s report on the greenhouse effect was published in the late 1980s. The Rio Summit and the Kyoto Protocol were the big issues in the 1990s. In recent years, the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned of the serious effects of increasing greenhouse gas emissions. In the course of these decades, Norway has changed from having a surplus of electrical power to becoming dependent on imported energy. This has also affected the public’s view on gas-fired power plants.
The question is no longer whether or not Norway should have gas-fired power plants, but rather how CO2-emissions are to be dealt with, how soon CO2 capture and storage are to be implemented and how strict emission limits should be. However, attitudes and political intentions are only one side of the story. In the end, the technical challenges and costs of CO2 capture and storage determine how many gas-fired power plants Norway will be installing in the years ahead.
Source: ”Gasskraft – tjue års klimakamp” by Andreas Tjernshaugen. Pax forlag 2007