Luxembourg, Norway Explore Strengthened Renewable Energy Cooperation Opportunities

From Monday 5 to Wednesday 7 September 2022, Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Mobility and Public Works, François Bausch, and the Minister for Energy and Spatial Planning, Claude Turmes, paid a working visit to Oslo, Norway.

During this working visit, the Luxembourgish ministers took the opportunity to meet Norwegian senior political leaders and organisations to conduct bilateral meetings aimed at strengthening cooperation between Luxembourg and Norway, particularly in the field of renewable energy. Impacted by climate change and the repercussions of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Luxembourg considers Norway to be a privileged partner in terms of energy production.

During a working breakfast, Ministers Bausch and Turmes met with Hilde Tonne, CEO of Stattnett, a public company and responsible for Norway's electricity transmission network, to deepen discussions on the overall situation of the energy market in Norway as well as its daily energy supply system. The operator plays a key role in the energy transition and in the development and operation of cross-border interconnections.

The trip was also an opportunity to meet the Norwegian Minister of Transport, Jon-Ivar Nygård, for a bilateral interview. Minister Bausch congratulated his Norwegian counterpart on decarbonisation in the transport sector and on the incentive policy to reduce CO2 emissions, which notably allows a better quality of life for citizens.

Discussions focused, among other things, on the production of energy and gas and the energy situation, electromobility, investment in the rail sector as well as decarbonisation and the types of alternative energies available to power lorries and boats. As part of the energy transition providing for decarbonisation, Minister Bausch recalled that the production of hydrogen would play an important role in the aviation sector while electrification represents a more interesting energy vector for heavy vehicles.

Luxembourg and Norway's transport ministers also had the opportunity to discuss the rail sector and the  European Train Control System (ETCS), with which the entire Luxembourg rail network is already equipped. Minister Nygård showed an interest in a collaboration between the two countries in order to support several projects on the Luxembourg side, particularly in infrastructure and mobility planning.

The two transport ministers also met Raymond Johansen, first alderman of the City of Oslo. During this meeting, Minister Bausch first expressed his appreciation for the anti-car policy and the gradual electrification of the Norwegian capital's transport sector. At the centre of the discussions were the climate budget of the green city and the opportunities and difficulties encountered by the city. They also exchanged views on the way forward with regard to the gradual increase of parking fees in the city and the increase in the car-sharing offer.

Similarly, the interview between the Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Terje Aasland, and Minister Turmes provided an opportunity to take stock of current events, marked by the energy crisis and the transition to renewable energies. Minister Aasland highlighted Norway's desire to secure and increase gas exports to Europe and to strengthen cooperation in the field of renewable energies.

The two Luxembourgish ministers also paid a visit to Norsk e-Fuel, a leading company in the development of eFuel production thanks to its industrial partners and technology experts. Discussions with the company provided an opportunity to take stock of the importance of deepening relations between the two countries in the production of sustainable aviation fuel based on renewable energy. By investing in this project, Lux-Airport has joined the partners Sunfire, Climeworks, Valinor and Paul Wurth in managing the production of synthetic fuel, which significantly reduces CO2 emissions linked to the aviation sector.

During a visit to Export Finance Norway (Eksfin), the Norwegian State's export credit agency, Minister Turmes discussed the terms of cooperation between Luxembourg and Norway around the concepts of long-term delivery contracts in the field of renewable energies. During a meeting with Equinor, a Norwegian energy company, the situation in the gas markets was discussed and cooperation in the field of wind power was explored.