Viking Magazine - February 2021 - Cover3

Ambassador's Insights
Norway and the Energy Transition
BY ANNIKEN KRUTNES
Government launched
the biggest climate
project in Norwegian
history: Longship, a
massive carbon capture
and storage project.
The Viking longship
was state-of-the-art ship
technology in its day,
the result of innovation
and hard work. Today's
Longship is also the
result of innovation and
hard work, combining
new technology with
D
ear readers, it is a great privilege
for me to make use of this monthly
space to discuss with you issues
of importance to Norway and the
Norwegian government. I hope to be
able to give you an overview of some
of those issues in the coming months. I
wanted to start with energy, as it affects
us all no matter where we live.
By now we all know that carbon
dioxide (CO²) emissions made by
human activity are the primary cause of
climate change.
Norway is at the forefront of efforts
to reduce the emissions of CO²-
through the use of CO² taxation,
electric vehicles, green shipping, carbon
capture and storage, and offshore wind.
Norway produces the highest
percentage of electricity from renewable
sources-including hydropower and
wind power-in all of Europe. We are
also a global leader in the adaptation
of electric vehicles. In October, 60% of
all new vehicles sold in Norway were
purely electric. Soon one third of our
ferries will be fully electric, too.
In September, the Norwegian
cooperation between government and
industry.
Partners Equinor, Shell and Total will
handle the transportation and storage.
Microsoft signed an agreement to
explore joining as a technology partner.
In Norway, we've been safely
capturing and storing CO² for almost
25 years, but this industry is still in its
infancy. We are eager to see how this
industry comes together to innovate,
create new jobs, and solve the climate
challenge together.
Another new and exciting industry
is offshore wind, which has enormous
potential to reduce carbon emissions
and create jobs. This is an area where
Norway and the United States face
many of the same challenges, and where
working more closely together will be of
mutual interest.
One of the biggest challenges facing
offshore wind power is presented by
deep water. The U.S. Pacific Coast's
continental shelf, much like Norway's,
is considerably deeper than many
other areas where offshore wind is
adapted today.
To solve this problem, building on
decades of experience in the offshore
and maritime industries, Norwegian
companies have developed world-leading
technologies for floating wind turbines.
The technology is already in use.
In Norway, Equinor and partners are
building the Hywind Tampen project
to supply oil and gas installations with
renewable wind energy. This will be
the world's largest floating offshore
wind park.
Norway is ready and eager to continue
working with the United States in the
areas of renewable energy and carbon
capture and storage. Norway has a
very active relationship with the U.S.
Department of Energy, when it comes to
carbon capture and storage. In August,
we signed a new MOU with the U.S.
Department of the Interior to facilitate
closer collaboration on, among other
things, offshore wind. I strongly believe
that working closely together in the future
will be necessary to meet the world's
climate aspirations.
About the Author
Anniken Krutnes is
Norway's ambassador
to the United States.
An expert in security
policy, the law of the
sea and Arctic issues,
she has previously
served as Deputy Director General of
the Department of Security Policy, as
Norway's Ambassador for Arctic and
Antarctic Affairs, and as ambassador
to the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
facebook.com/
NorwegianEmbassyinWashington/
@NorwayAmbUSA
sonsofnorway.com VIKING FEBRUARY 2021 39
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12/16/20 11:18 AM
PHOTO BY HALEY LLOYD / NORWEGIAN EMBASSY
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Viking Magazine - February 2021

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