- Agder is in the lead
Climate and Environment Minister Espen Barth Eide believes Agder is in the lead when it comes to reducing the footprint at the same time that people can live a good life. Yesterday he visited Elkem, UiA and Morrow - and at the same time received a small update from Battery Norway.
- It is very exciting what we see here at UiA and the close collaboration they have with the business world and how the public and private sector and academia can work together to find new solutions. What is the general tone throughout our part of the world is to replace fossil fuels with renewables and use and throw away with circular ones and get a smarter use of resources. Then you need, for example, batteries and new ways of manufacturing and utilizing materials. In this way, we reduce our footprint while still allowing people to have good lives. There, Agder is right at the forefront in Norway, says Climate and Environment Minister Espen Barth Eide.
Happy with the government's ambitions
On Monday, he visited both UiA, MIL, Morrow's lab and Elkem Fiskaa, and had dialogue meetings with Battery Norway, Biozin, as well as Arendal and Grimstad municipalities.
- We appreciate today’s visit from Minister Barth Eide, and we are pleased by the Norwegian government’s ambition to develop existing and future green industries in Norway. Elkem aims to be part of the solution to combat climate change – and to be one of the winners in the green transition. In order to achieve this, we are investing to reduce fossil CO2 emissions towards net zero by 2050, while growing our supplies of critical materials to growth markets like electric vehicles and renewable energy. Succeeding with a green transition also requires competitive framework conditions, said Elkem’s CEO Helge Aasen.
Sneak peek at the battery research center
Morrow will become Agder's largest employer by far when the factory is completed in 2024. The minister and the other guests also got a sneak peek inside Norway's largest battery research center (BRC), which will open this spring. At this centre, they will develop next-generation battery cells that will make batteries more cost-effective and more sustainable.
Morrow has already entered into long-term development agreements with, among others, a large and well-reputed European car manufacturer and ABB, and is in the process of producing test cells for future customers in South Korea.
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