Mundus Nordic Green News – 25 March, 2021

Sweden’s Climate Policy Council says pandemic recovery policy must contribute to increased pace of climate change

Sweden’s Climate Policy Council, which has a mandate to audit the Government climate policies has submitted its second annual report. Its first report in 2020 warned that the country was well off target in achieving its climate ambition. Since then, a number of new policies have been announced and Swedish business has announced a very large number of new ventures. Nonetheless, the Council commented in its press release that “Today's policies are not enough to achieve the climate policy goals… The recovery from the corona crisis is a window of opportunity for climate change. Now there is both a maturity and a momentum that the government needs to use better than it has done so far. When major economic stimuli are launched after the pandemic … reforms should focus on also contributing to achieving climate goals.”

Blogger Magnus Nilsson questions whether taxpayers should really finance climate change? He argues that the council is rather vague about what the state should invest the additional tax money.  “It is obvious that government money is absolutely crucial for funding R&D, as well as for being able to test new technology on a larger scale. A lot of tax money is already being invested in these areas, and it is probably [smart] to invest even more. Perhaps the state should set up a green investment bank that can provide favorable credit for projects the commercial banks do not dare to grant loans."

[Ed: Politically it is expedient for a government to announce green investment in high profile projects that also boost GDP and are paid back over decades. This is a much easier sell than doing the difficult political work of putting a carbon price into all sectors of the economy, creating economic winners and losers]. (press release, Nilsson Produktion)

Swedish authorities told to produce proposals to support climate ambition

Sweden’s Government has commissioned about ten authorities to prepare proposals for measures for the next climate policy action plan. The proposals will contribute to the national and global climate goals being achieved in a long-term sustainable and cost-effective way. The assignment will be carried out with the support of the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning, the Swedish Energy Agency, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, the Swedish Transport Administration and the Swedish Transport Agency. (press release)

Denmark produces roadmaps for industrial greening

Denmark’s Government and its climate partners made a preliminary status of the climate effort at a meeting of the Green Business Forum, presenting roadmaps for 6 of 13 sectors. The Minister of Business and Industry Simon Kollerup said “The climate partnerships have proved to be a strong collaboration, which has helped push for the green transition. We now have six roadmaps ready where we can see the various initiatives from the government and business from the past year.” (press release)

Finnish wind power breaks records in March

Spot Finnish wind power production broke previous records on three days during March, says Energy Industry, due to the increased capacity of wind power and windy weather in March. At its peak, wind power generated a quarter of all electricity generated. According to the Energy Industry, wind power production, which is concentrated on the west coast of Finland, is currently growing the fastest of all forms of electricity production."We can expect that wind power production records will be broken several more times this year," said Kati Takala, a wind power expert. (Helsingin Sanomat)

Saga Pure buys into IC Technologies

Saga Pure announces that it is buying 33% of the shares in IC Technology for NOK 30 million, with an option to invest more if it chooses. IC Technologies AS (ICT), which is based in Trondheim, Norway, is developing cryogenic distribution and storage solutions for liquid hydrogen and LNG. (DN Investor, H2 Bulletin)

Norwegian shipping company selected for the world's first emission-free bulk carrier

Egil Ulvan Rederi has been chosen for the world's first emission-free bulk carrier. A joint venture between Felleskjøpet Agri together and HeidelbergCement has entered into an agreement with the shipping company to build an 88 meter long, green ship. The new ship will have a hydrogen-powered main engine. The ship will also be equipped with two rotor sails which under favorable wind conditions will mean that the ship can sail at a speed of 8 knots with power generated from the two wind rotors alone. The ship is equipped with a lower keel and a large rudder that makes it easier to sail with minimal drift, and with it also make a small contribution to reduced energy needs. 

Norwegian Ship Design, which designed the ship on behalf of Ulvan Rederi, has had a clear goal throughout the process that ultimately ended up as the winner of the competition: As much energy as possible must be obtained through direct use of natural forces. (kommunikasjon)

Nel ASA: Signs MoU with Haldor Topsoe for delivery of end-to-end green ammonia and methanol solutions 

Under the MoU, Nel will bring extensive experience within alkaline and PEM electrolysis technology and proprietary hardware, as well as system engineering for the hydrogen production. Haldor Topsoe will supply engineering, proprietary hardware, catalyst and technical service for its ammonia and methanol technologies. "We are very excited to join forces with Haldor Topsoe for possible future development of end-to-end green ammonia and green methanol solutions to customers, both which are widely regarded as important carbon free fuels and energy carriers for the future. This is a market that is expected to grow significantly in the years to come," said Jon André Løkke, CEO of Nel ASA. (press release)

Nel receives new order

Nel Hydrogen Fueling, a division of Nel ASA has received an order for 4 H2Station units for fueling of light-duty vehicles in California from Iwatani Corporation of America. The value of the order is in excess of NOK 40 million for the four H2Station. (press release)

What we’re reading

• Carney takes aim at EU’s rigid green regulation plans (FT, paywall)
• Clean tech 2:0: Silicon Valley’s new bet on start-ups fighting climate change (FT, paywall)

 

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