Prime minister Støre's speech at ONS 2022

Your Royal Highness,

Excellences,

Ladies and gentlemen,

 

It is a bit strange, I must say, what can be the role of trust when it comes to drilling, building pipelines or capturing and storing CO2?

Here is where I stand on the issue: I believe trust is vital to the energy transition that lies ahead.

As a social democrat, the core of what I believe in, is that we are stronger together and that mutual trust is the very bedrock of achieving great things together.

We are now faced with, and we are reminded every month and every year, with challenges that are formidable and might seem impossible:

Cutting emissions at a much greater speed.

Developing a new, renewable, global energy-system in a few decades.

Getting through the next stormy years while Europe ends its use of Russian gas.  

Together these are daunting tasks.

There is no doubt that we meet at a time where energy markets are under tremendous stress. 

But one thing can not be taken away, These challenges can only be met if we find some way, some approach to do it together and to share the tasks equitably.

Increasing cooperation between countries.

Making sure government and industry cooperate even more closely.

Engaging civil society, listening to young people and their impatience.

And building on the strengths on what we have experienced in our Nordic model with a close cooperation between unions and management.

That must be our way forward!

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What does that mean here and now from a political perspective?

Well, it means resisting short-term solutions that every country should now fend for itself in the current energy-crisis in Europe.

We must not do that.

That would certainly undercut trust and cooperation between countries, and that is what we need right now

And make no mistake: that disruption is exactly what president Putin is aiming for.

That cannot be our way! We will not make him have it his way.

My government knows that cooperation, not isolation, is in our and Europe’s

long-term interest and consequently, that will be our policy.

*

Let me therefore underline the key issues on where Norway stands.

Norway will remain a stable, predictable, and not least, a trustworthy European energy partner.

The companies on the Norwegian continental shelf are producing near maximum capacity every day.

Their efforts have led to a 10 per cent increase in this year`s production of natural gas to the European market.

We will do everything in our power to make sure that continues.

And together with EU and key European countries, we intend to play a key role in the green transition that has to happen in Europe.

Together with you in the industry we will strive towards cutting climate gas emissions by 50 per cent in this sector by 2030. 

We will increase our efforts to demonstrate to Europe that the world can capture and store CO2   safe!

We are fully committed to create effective value chains for hydrogen, benefiting Norwegian industry and transport systems as well as our energy partners in Europe.

And finally; Norway commits to dramatically scaling up production of renewable energy from offshore wind.

We do not live in the oil age, friends, we live in the energy age.

Norway started with hydro water, we went on to oil, we moved into gas, and we are now heading into offshore wind, land wind, hydrogen, solar and new phases.

One chapter building on the other. We do not close the book from one chapter, opening another one. It is a transition that must succeed. And it is a trust in this transition.

Our ambition is to move steadfastly towards the production of about 30.000 MWH of ocean wind output by 2040. That would equal almost all of Norway`s hydropower electricity production today. It is good for Norway and it will be good for Europe as we will build a grid around the North sea to everybody’s benefit.

And many of you are already leading the way.

Hywind Tampen will be the world’s largest floating offshore wind park when it comes into operation later this year. 

Two large areas for offshore wind have been opened - "Sørlige Nordsjø II" and "Utsira Nord" - and invitations for tender will be opened in a few months.

Dear friends,

There is really no alternative.

Together we must – and we can - speed up the energy transition in Europe, this is a paradox of the war in Ukraine. We are pushed to do a few right things taking decisive steps towards increasing renewable energy resources and building the necessary infrastructure to make energy available to all. 

Norway will be a partner of that - with energy and with investments. *

Let me, leading on to the next speaker, end on a serious and dark note.

The illegal, brutal and unacceptable Russian invasion of Ukraine is a humanitarian crisis, with brutal damage inflicted on millions of people.

When I visited Ukraine in July, I met some of the victims of war crimes committed against Ukrainian civilians with treatment beyond fantasy.

Those images, their stories of violence and killing of innocent men and women will be impossible to forget.

But in the midst of suffering and hardship, the Ukrainian people is also showing tremendous courage and an inspiring resilience that is important far beyond Ukraine. It is really also about our future.

And few more so than president Zelensky himself whom embodies his people’s strength and fighting-spirit. To put it short - a leader that invites trust at a critical moment.

President Zelenskyij, I visited you this summer in Kyiv, we spent time together, and I am glad to meet you again on the screen. 

When we met, we sat together, just the two of us for a long time, and we discussed many issues, both political and private because there is some daunting private suffering taking place here with courage. We discussed Ukraine`s energy situation in addition to managing the invasion and how to fight the invasion. You shared with me your needs for securing the funding of gas that can be stored for the winter. To secure Ukraine getting through the winter.

You pleaded to Norway to take a leading role. I have been working on this since I arrived home.

Today we announce that the Norwegian Government intends to spend about two billion Norwegian kroner, approximately 205 million Euro, to fund the supply of gas for Ukraine in 2022.

We will not do this alone.

We will fund this through the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and are inviting friends and other European partners to join.

Dear Volodymyr, the floor is yours! Welcome to this conference.