Austrheim municipality wants South Korean nuclear power development at Mongstad – NRK Vestland

On Wednesday, representatives from Norsk Kjernekraft AS met at Mongstad in Nordhordland. They had with them the main investor Trond Mohn. One of Norway’s richest men.

The dreams are big.

The company wants a nuclear power plant on Norwegian soil by 2035.

But nuclear power is controversial in Norway. There is no majority either among the people or in the Storting.

Now the dreams are one step closer.

Will be Norway’s first municipality with a nuclear power plant

Norsk Kjernekraft AS brought the South Korean energy giant DL Energy to Mongstad.

On Wednesday, the two companies signed an agreement with Austrheim municipality. They have to sort out an area for a nuclear power plant.

The area is the size of a football stadium.

It is not far from the Mongstad refinery, which is Norway’s largest single point for greenhouse gas emissions.

This is the start that could make the municipality Norway’s first with a nuclear power plant.

– We have to think ahead. Energy demand in Norway is only increasing. Nuclear power plants, small modular nuclear power plants that we are talking about here, are probably some of the cleanest energy you can get. If I’m going into the green shift, I think this is the right way to go, says mayor of Austrheim municipality, Morten Sognnes.

The matter is not finally settled in the municipal council in Austrheim.

I think the skepticism will disappear

The agreement also includes an opportunity for development elsewhere in Norway.

Trond Mohn is the largest co-owner in Norsk Kjernekraft AS. He believes this is a good start, and that nuclear power is the right form of energy to help with the climate problem.

– That people are skeptical of the new is part of life, but with a little more knowledge, I think the skepticism will disappear, he says.

Sognnes says that they have received very little negative feedback at the public meetings they have held so far.

– There have been some who have been skeptical, but once you ask why they are skeptical, they don’t know why, he says.

If the company gets what they want, the nuclear power plant can start delivering electricity as early as 2035. Construction can start in 2030 at the earliest.

– It is a long way off before we are able to establish a nuclear power plant here. But we cannot sit and wait. We are forced to start that process now. It is not certain that I will experience something being built, but they are talking about at least ten years in the future before it can be established, he says.

Korean expertise in nuclear power

The owner group of DL Energy, DL Group, has built a total of nuclear power plants with an annual power production of 83 terawatt hours (TWh). This corresponds to more than half of Norway’s total power production.

The group has also built power plants for other forms of energy, including coal-fired power plants, thermal power plants and renewable power plants in seven different countries.

According to the agreement, DL Energy will itself pay for the feasibility study to build a nuclear power plant at Mongstad.

– Norway is the best in the world at engineering. South Korea is best at building nuclear power plants. Getting them together in Norway can make the construction process far more efficient, believes managing director Jonny Hesthammer of Norsk Kjernekraft AS.

He says the agreement is the first step in the work to assess a specific location in Austrheim and perhaps Alver municipality, in connection with the Mongstad industrial area.

– The fact that the South Koreans find Norway interesting for investment in nuclear power is incredibly interesting. Norwegian politicians must also take this into account, Hesthammer believes.

He believes that Norsk Kjernekraftverk AS and DL Energy are now laying the first foundation stone for what will become a future industrial adventure.

Resistance and skepticism on the left: – Hole in the head

But politically, to put it mildly, there is a long way to go before the Storting eventually says yes to building nuclear power plants in this country.

The main argument against nuclear power is the problem of radioactive waste. In addition, there is little knowledge about nuclear power in Norway, and a lack of people with expertise.

Raudt is among the opponents of Norwegian nuclear power plants.

– It is hollow in the head to say yes to something we do not have enough knowledge about or know the consequences of. Here national governing powers could well be even better at promoting research and knowledge about nuclear power, says energy policy spokesperson in Raudt, Sofie Marhaug.

The Labor Party, for its part, has no principled opposition to nuclear power, but believes it is expensive.

– It is perfectly legal to build nuclear power in Norway today. If a company submits an application for a project, they will receive serious consideration of that application. But nuclear power is very expensive. It is not profitable. And there is no point for Norway to use large subsidiaries to develop it, he says Stein Erik Lauvås.

He sits on the energy and environment committee for Ap.

Zeal and enthusiasm on the right side

The Liberals, Christian People’s Party (KrF) and the Progressive Party (Frp) are all in favor of nuclear power.

KrF itself claims to be the party in Norway that most clearly supports nuclear power. They recently put forward a representative proposal on nuclear power in Norway, which is currently being considered in the energy and environment committee.

They point out that compared to other emission-free energy sources such as solar and wind power, nuclear power plants require relatively little land to generate large amounts of electricity.

The power plant can also be located on already developed or existing industrial areas. This reduces the need for the reduction of nature, KrF believes.

– What does KrF think about the work and plans of Norsk Kjernekraft AS, and the political decisions in various municipalities to make land available?

– This is very interesting. Here the municipalities are ahead of the government. Now KrF has put forward a proposal that the municipalities will meet here, so now the government should listen to its own mayors, believes energy policy spokesperson Kjell Ingolf Ropstad.