Robin Martin Kåss: “Renewables and CCS required”

NEREC (Network for Economic Research on Electronic Communications) aims at bringing together leading economists from university, industry, consultancy and government agencies to discuss recent research contributions of critical importance for European regulation and policymaking in electronic communications. Photo: NEREC.

“No progress will be made without the industrial strength and know-how represented by the industries and research institutions,” State Secretary Robin Martin Kåss said addressing the NEREC Conference at Lillestrøm on Oct. 7.

Last year’s Scandinavian Renewable Energy Forum (Scan-ref) is now being followed up by the NEREC.  The Convention is organized by the Norway Trade Fairs together with ABG Sundal Collier, DnB Nor Markets, OREEC and Innovation Norway. The conference part on Oct. 7 was named “The Road to Copenhagen”.

Kåss explained the audience that the Norwegian strategy consists of four key elements:

– More efficient use of energy.

– Transforming heating systems towards bio energy and waste usage.

– Increased renewable power production based on hydro and wind (read more).

– Carbon capture and storage.

The State Secretary pointed to several developments within the area in the recent past, such as:

– A draft law and a national strategy on offshore renewable energy, presented by the Minister of Petroleum and Energy in June this year

– A radically strengthened research and development effort on renewable energy and carbon capture and sequestration over the past couple of years

– The establishment of INTPOW, Norwegian Renewable Energy Partners, as a means to promote Norwegian competence on renewable energy abroad

“Along the renewable path we need to speed up progress globally in the area of carbon capture and sequestration. No progress will be made without the industrial strength and know-how which is represented in the industries and research institutions. We need such initiative and boldness to face today’s challenges as was, for example, evinced by our hydropower pioneers hundred years ago and the offshore petroleum pioneers forty years ago,” the State Secretary concluded his speech.