Launched the 10 move battery strategy

The government has launched the battery strategy. Lars Petter Maltby, who is the director of Prosess21, has been the initiator and wrote the basis for this strategy, and is very pleased that the Government is participating in the development of a completely new industry in Norway.

- If Norway seizes the opportunities, the Norwegian value chain for batteries can employ several tens of thousands of people and generate sales of at least NOK 90 billion by 2030. Global demand is growing exponentially and Norway has very good conditions for success in this race, says Minister of Industry Jan Christian Vestre at regjeringen.no.

The strategy that was recently put forward shows 10 measures to carry out sustainable industrialisation.

Here are the 10 moves:
  1. Leadership in sustainability throughout the battery value chain.
  2. Promote Norway as an attractive host country for green investments.
  3. Enter into industrial partnerships with central countries.
  4. Providing capital, loans and guarantees that trigger private capital.
  5. Promote access to expertise.
  6. Facilitating more renewable energy access.
  7. Contribute to offer land areas and other central infrastructure.
  8. Ensure predictable, efficient and coordinated public sector processes.
  9. Support for growing pilot municipalities.
  10. Leadership on tomorrow's battery solutions and utilization of digital technology opportunities.
Norway a a good host nation

- There is a completely new industry to be built up in Norway, and the strategy will be a kind of marketing document for Norway as a good host nation. When the Government provides measures, it can trigger private capital, points out Maltby.

- We have been calling for such a strategy since 2020. Now the work to operationalize the strategy begins, says Helene Falch Fladmark, general manager of the Eyde Cluster.

The working group laid the foundation

In December 2021, the government at the Ministry of Trade and Fisheries launched a working group to create a comprehensive, knowledge-based basis for the government's national battery strategy. Lars Petter Maltby has been project manager for the working group to design the substructure. The working group has also consisted of Invest In Norway (part of Innovation Norway) and Siva.

- This strategy only happened after the Minister of Business and Industry visited the process industry last year, says Maltby, and boasts of the ministry's commitment and interest in getting to know the process industry and the development towards a change to a greener shift - and a completely new industry in Norway.

- This would not have happened without the driving role Lars Petter Maltby has played through Prosess21, adds Falch Fladmark.

The work ahead

- The collaboration platform Battery Norway, which the Eyde Cluster operates, will be an important partner for operationalizing the strategy, says Falch Fladmark.

- It is important to work ahead now. The steps in the strategy are more promises than concrete measures. It is the companies in collaboration with the public sector that must operationalize this. We need capital, closer cooperation with the EU, state administrators, municipalities and the ministry, and we need to complete BattKomp - the competence project for the battery industry. There are a lot of tasks left, says Maltby.

Minister of Business Jan Christian Vestre promises that the state will provide clean and affordable renewable energy, attractive commercial areas, education of the workforce, fast public processes, support for host municipalities and contribute with loans, guarantees and equity to strengthen this industry's growth opportunities.