Norway wants overhead power lines as the rule and licences granted by NVE alone: Aasland announces consultation

Norwegian Energy Minister Terje Aasland (Labour Party) on Wednesday, at the autumn conference of transmission system operator Statnett, asked representatives of the consulted bodies to take part “positively” in the consultation the ministry is about to launch. According to the NTB news agency, the government wants “relatively big, sweeping” changes to the rules for building grids and generation capacity.

What the government proposes. Developers would carry out the impact assessments and apply for the licence, and NVE, the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate, would grant it alone; the county governor (statsforvalteren) would lose the right to object, NTB reports. The proposal is technology-neutral: wind, hydro, solar and other sources. For high-voltage installations, “the basic rule must be the overhead line”, Aasland said, while underground cable would remain the exception. Only strictly necessary route alternatives would be assessed.

Wind moves into the Energy Act. The rules for onshore wind would be moved from the Planning and Building Act into the Energy Act, giving NVE a greater role. The government also wants to change the point in the process at which municipalities can stop a project; they would still decide “yes” or “no” for each wind farm. The bill is expected in the Storting in the spring.

Background. The package was presented in August by Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Aasland. According to Altinget, the stated goal is to halve the construction time for the transmission and regional grids, with a two-year deadline for NVE decisions from the submission of a complete application, while the Sametinget keeps its right to object. Analyses by Statnett, NVE and Statkraft show that Norway is heading for a power deficit, and commercial customers, including many data centres, may wait five, ten or fifteen years for a grid connection, NTB notes. In 2023, onshore wind had been placed under the Planning Act, which practically halted new projects.

What comes next. The ministry is sending the proposals out for public consultation. On nuclear power, Aasland said a white paper will come in 2028, but that “nuclear power is not the solution to the challenges we face now”.

The country’s real-time data are on the country page.