Opening address at seminar on renewable energy

*Check against delivery*

Excellency,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning!

It is a great pleasure to be here with you at this opening of this seminar on renewable energy.

First of all: Let me start by thanking our hosts and organizers;
Innovation Norway, Intpow and the Norwegian Embassy.

I would also like to congratulate Canada on an impressive performance in the recent Olympics in Russia.

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Canada and Norway have a lot more in common than excelling in the Olympics.

First of all, and somewhat related to success in Winter Olympics:
Norway and Canada share a unique partnership as Arctic nations. 

And related to this:
An important foundation for both our economies – as well as our close relationship – is the fact that both our countries are blessed with an abundance of natural resources – from minerals to oil and gas and to water.

This is also clearly visible when we look at the most important sectors in our robust trading relationship.

Today, we find that Canadian-Norwegian trade is concentrated in a few key sectors – mainly in crude oil from Norway and nickel from Canada.

The free trade agreement between Canada and the EFTA members – which came into force in 2009 – has served us well.

However, I think it is safe to say that there is plenty of room for trade between us to grow: Not least within trade in services.

Looking ahead, it is expected that growth rates in services trade and investment will continue to outpace growth in goods trade.

We hope to meet these trends by establishing a dialogue between the EFTA countries and Canada on a possible expansion of the free trade agreement.

There are rich opportunities in the years to come within fields like oil and gas exploration, maritime transportation, mining and defense technology.
Developing environmental technologies for operating in the Arctic is a priority to both of us.

Further developing our free trade agreement will make both our countries stronger in facing future challenges and possibilities.

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Speaking of future possibilities;
One of my favorite quotes about the future belongs to one of your national heroes, the great Wayne Gretzky.

When asked why he was such a good player, he elegantly replied that: “It’s because I don’t skate to where the puck is, I skate to where the puck is going to be”.

And that is exactly what stepping up our efforts within renewable energy is all about: Skating to where the puck is going to be.

And both Canada and Norway are in a strong position in this race.
• We are both major producers of renewable and clean hydropower.
• And we both have a long hydropower history and a high percentage of hydropower in the energy mix.

Norway’s position in Europe is particularly strong.
Today, we are Europe’s largest producer of hydropower.
In the world race we rank as the world’s 6th largest producer of hydropower – with Canada being one of the few producers that surpass us .

Quite unique for Norway, is that 99 per cent of our total electricity production is based on hydropower.

Also, more than 60 per cent of the Norwegian total energy consumption is based on renewable energy. Our target, as agreed by the EU, is a 67,5 per cent share by 2020.

An important instrument in securing the necessary and most cost-effective investments is an effective electricity market.

Since 1991, we have very good experiences with a market-based power exchange in our Northern-European region, benefiting both consumers and the environment.

The foundation for this has been a strong grid, good interconnections and smart software solutions.

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However – if we are to reach our goal of 67,5 per cent share of renewable energy in our energy mix by 2020, as well as satisfying a growing need for energy worldwide – we have to work tirelessly with technology development and increasing renewable energy use.
And needless to say: This is an area with significant business development opportunities for both Canada and Norway.

I am happy to note that there are already examples of well-functioning collaborations:

• SINTEF/NTNU have had a long lasting cooperation with Canadian research institutions for several years. Mainly in the field of environment issues related to hydropower.

• And Rainpower ASA – present here today – has had an office in Oakville, just a few kilometres outside Toronto since 2011.
Rainpower North America Inc. is focusing on pelton and francis systems for small and medium sized plants – a topic I know we will hear more about later.

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Dear friends,

There is no doubt that Canada and Norway have a lot of common interests – not only in Winter Olympics – but also in a business perspective:
From sustainable use of abundant natural resources to future-oriented technology development.
It is both important and appropriate that international front-runners like Canada and Norway meet to discuss how we can contribute to meeting future challenges, learn from each other and hopefully can partner up to meet the marked needs for more renewable energy.

There is no doubt that Norwegian researchers and businesses can learn from the world’s second largest producers of hydropower. Likewise, I am sure Norway has valuable expertise that may be of value for Canada.

While hockey might not be an area of expertise in Norway – I am sure that increased Canadian-Norwegian collaboration can help each other in getting to where the puck is going to be.

I look forward to listening to your contributions here today.
Thank you for your attention.

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