– Hilde Tonne has today notified the board that she wishes to resign from her position as soon as a successor is in place, writes electricity company Statnett in a press release.
Tonne has led the company for three years, i.e. since March 2021.
– There have been some intense years with major restructuring of the company, and I have come to the conclusion that it is a natural time for me to pass on the baton, says the now outgoing Statnett boss.
She says that the company is well under way with “The Green Change in Time” which they established in 2021.
Tonne is full of praise for the company and her colleagues, and she says that she will miss the people she has worked with.
– When I now pass on the baton, I am confident that Statnett is very well equipped to solve the large and important tasks facing the company in the time to come, says Tonne.
Said the power support should be removed
She caused a stir a few weeks ago, when she believed that the electricity subsidy should be removed.
Tonne also stated that electricity prices in Norway are low and that Norwegians are too well used to low energy prices.
– We are a country where we expect energy to be free, and that is no longer the case. It is not hugely expensive in Norway for people. It is also not expensive for the industry, said Tonne in the Nettavisen podcast Stavrum & Eikeland.
She continued:
– It is a popular demand to develop more energy in other countries, while in Norway it is a popular demand not to develop wind power because electricity is cheap. I hope that the scheme will be phased out, then we will get an understanding of what energy really costs.
Reprimanded by politicians
This caused several politicians to react. Rødt politician Sofie Marhaug was among those who saw red after the plans.
“What does Tonne think will happen to the poorest if the electricity subsidy is reduced? Does she want even more people on social assistance? How privileged can one be?”, wrote Marhaug in an article in Nettavisen.
She also did not receive support from the right.
– She appears completely disconnected from reality in the way she refers to electricity support and Norwegian electricity prices. I can remind the Statnett boss that historic electricity prices have been around 30 øre per kWh, and today you pay 2.5 times more – so electricity is already expensive, said parliamentary politician Marius Nilsen (Frp) to Nettavisen.
