A good backup for renewable energy sources is required in the green shift, affirms Storting representative Tina Bru. “Gas is the perfect partner here, and will provide new commercial opportunities in its interaction with renewables. It’s in this interaction that the good solutions are to be found.”
Tina Bru, Storting representative. (Photo: Elin Høyland/Dagens Næringsliv)
Tina Bru was elected to the Storting (parliament) in 2013 from Rogaland, the county covering south-west Norway which includes Stavanger and Karmøy. Within a few years, she has become one of the country’s most high-profile politicians on climate, environmental and energy questions. She is a member of the Conservative Party and serves in 2017 as its energy policy spokesperson.
What do you mean by “the green shift”?
The content of this concept generally varies considerably between different people and politicians. As far as I’m concerned, it’s about disconnecting economic growth from the rise in emissions. We’re fortunate enough in Norway to have power supplies based almost wholly on renewable energy. As a result, the green shift here is partly about phasing out fossil fuels through increased use of electricity in the transport sector.
More generally, I see this concept primarily as involving a transition to a low-emission society at the same time as we protect the jobs and value creation which safeguard our welfare state.
Although gas has the smallest emissions of the fossil fuels, many people believe it is wrong to rely on this energy source in a future which must nevertheless be renewable. What’s your view?
It’s utopian to believe that you can create a renewable revolution which has no interaction with gas – at least in the short term, and most probably in the long term as well.
We must have a good backup for renewable energy sources, and gas is the perfect partner here. It’s a flexible and stable energy source which also has low emissions compared with other fuels such as coal.
I’m convinced that gas in interaction with renewables will provide new commercial opportunities. Hopping over gas as an energy source is unrealistic.
Gas is an important energy source in Europe today. What do you think will be needed for it to maintain that position over the next 10-20 years?
Norway must continue to deliver large volumes and keep production at a high and steady level, so that we’re a stable and predictable energy supplier to Europe.
I constantly see the EU sending signals that gas also has a long-term market. That’s positive. It’s also important that the industry has long-term operating parameters, so that we’re perceived as a stable and long-term energy supplier.
The competitive position of gas in the European market has weakened in recent years.
What do you think is needed to reverse this trend?
As coal is phased out, the market for gas will undoubtedly improve. Otherwise, our unique gas transport system unquestionably means we’re well positioned to remain a big energy supplier in the future.
How important will carbon capture and storage (CCS) be for the future of gas as an energy source in Europe?
The world can’t meet the climate targets in the Paris agreement without CCS. It’ll be crucial for meeting the two-degree goal.
A complete value chain for CO2 needs to be established, and Norway and the NCS are definitely well equipped for storing this gas beneath the seabed.
Many people believe hydrogen to be an energy bearer for the future, particularly in the transport sector. What’s your view?
What we do know is that the world’s energy needs are rising. We often talk about which energy source will come out the winner in the future. I think that’s the wrong way to look at this.
We need many energy sources to meet tomorrow’s requirements while also reaching the climate targets. We must quite clearly have an interaction between
renewable and fossil sources – that’s where the good solutions lie.
And the energy sources which cause the biggest pollution, such as coal, for example, must be phased out first.
