It is Oslo Vest’s turn now – Dagsavisen

The government promises to cut costs to prepare the country for a new reality. But the consideration of cable neighbors on the western edge of Oslo is clearly so urgent that we have to endure spending a few extra billions on new power cables for them.

This is the case, as it says: A new high-voltage cable must be built between Bærum and Oslo west, as the old cable has played its role. The power line with a voltage level of 420 kilovolts will run between the transformer station at Hamang in Bærum and Smestad in Oslo, around 12 kilometres.

It may not be ordinary people’s turn this time either. But we get the pleasure of footing the bill for a cable on the western edge.

Today’s cables extend up to 21 meters in the air. Many neighbors have demanded that these must be replaced with a buried cable. The reactions therefore became violent when Norway’s Directorate of Water Resources and Energy (NVE) gave Statnett permission to build new, even higher masts almost three years ago.

There has been a hail of complaints. Both the affected municipalities and a total of around 700 people and organizations have cried out about the injustice.

There is also no shortage of media reports, and statements of the type “it doesn’t exactly attract buyers when you have to sell your house” and “the neighbor had a lot of trouble selling his house because of those masts”.

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Then the neighbors should at least be happy that we have a government that listens, at least in this specific case. Which affects areas with a high concentration of fairly wealthy people, or unusual people, as the government called it just a few years ago.

This week, the message came from Energy Minister Terje Aasland that the cable will be laid underground.

Yes, it will be more expensive, the government acknowledges. And it goes against the recommendations from NVE to build such cables in the air, not underground. But “the ministry’s overall assessment is nevertheless that cable in a trench and tunnel for the entire stretch will be a significantly better overall solution than an overhead line”.

It should be about quite a few essentials better. Because the price increased with yesterday’s decision from around NOK 1 billion to three times that amount and that’s about it. But maybe it’s worth it to avoid attracting lawyers with a villa?

Fikenbladet is a calculation from Oslo Economics which estimates that areas worth NOK 1.4 billion, and perhaps even more, will be freed up if the cable is buried.

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Or as it could also be called: The community bears the expense of paying three times more for the cable – and neighbors and landowners benefit from the increase in value triggered by the cable being buried.

The neighbor who struggled so badly will probably struggle far less to sell his house now, we are to believe.

It has been said that this cable will set an important precedent for similar developments in the future. Statnett warns that the power grid will be upgraded for up to 100 billion by 2030. In this sense, the decision to build expensive and elegant can be good news for many who are threatened by monster masts in the neighbourhood.

Or for the neighborhood action in Gamlebyen in the east of Oslo, to take an example among many, who are fighting for the Gjøvikbanen to be closed and give a good night’s sleep and peace to neighbors who live close to the train line.

But we probably shouldn’t be too sure that will happen. The government is quite clear that this decision is not a guide for future decisions.

“The current guidelines that new power lines of 420 kV should, as a general rule, be built as overhead lines will remain in place,” the press release on regjeringen.no says.

It may not be ordinary people’s turn this time either. But we get the pleasure of footing the bill for a cable on the western edge.

Read more comments by Jo Moen Bredeveien

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