- The European Commission’s presentation of a comprehensive climate and energy package is good news. It is an important input to the process of creating the climate and energy policy of the future. The EU has set ambitious targets of a 20 % reduction in climate gas emissions, a 20 % share of renewable energy, and a 20 % increase in energy efficiency. This shows that the EU – similar to what we have done – has put the issue on the top of its agenda, says Minister of Petroleum and Energy Åslaug Haga.
- My starting point is that Norway should have ambitions at least as high as those of the EU. I will in the future focus much stronger on energy efficiency in Norway. Even though Norway already is a leading country in Europe when it comes to utilization of renewable energy, we have ambitious plans for further development, through among others biofules, wind power, small scale hydroelectric installations, as well as off shore wind power. My ambition is that Norway should become a big exporter of clean and renewable energy.
- If we are to achieve a sufficient reduction of global CO2 emissions, we need strategies for international dissemination of technologies for carbon capture and storage (CCS). It is therefore a good thing that the Commission has given its active support to CCS. The Commission aims at extensive research and development work on CCS-technology, through 12 demonstration projects meant to be implemented by 2015. We have a shared interest in seeing these projects realized as soon as possible, says Ms Haga.
- According to the new guidelines for state support to environmental projects, on which a proposition was presented today, such support is not allowed for CCS-projects. Due to lack of experience, one does not wish to set guidelines for state support to CCS-projects now. Questions of state support to CCS-projects thus still have to be considered directly towards the rules on state support – among these the exemption clauses – as they are laid down in the EEA Agreement and in the EC Treaty. In regard of Mongstad and the installation for capture and storage of CO2 from Kårstø, this is a good starting point for Norway.
- The proposition to the renewable energy directive presented today will as far as I can see not be an obstacle to our further conversations with Sweden on the topic of green certificates. We will now study the details of the proposition to clarify what it will mean for Norway as an EEA country, says Åslaug Haga.