Næringsministerens innlegg under French-Norwegian Green Industry Forum i Paris

                                                                                             *Sjekkes mot fremføring

Mesdames et messieurs,

Chers amis,

Bonjour!

It is a great pleasure to be back here in Paris.

I would like to thank all of Team Norway France and Team France Export for putting this event together, and BPI France for hosting us here today.

You are all making a great effort – not just here today, but every day – being facilitators for an even closer French-Norwegian relationship.

Both France and Norway have great advantages in the green transition.
By working together we have a lot more to gain.

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The green transition has definitely started, but we really have to speed things up.
At the same time, the geopolitical situation is creating new challenges that also affects green investments around the world.
In times like these, trusted and loyal partners and friends are more important than ever.

And France is very much one of Norway’s closest and most trusted partners.

We do have a lot to offer each other.

By combining France’s great industrial capacity and ambitious plans for decarbonisation, with Norway’s experiences with green technology and highly skilled workers, we can spark the transition together.

With first class expertise from both French and Norwegian companies and research institutions, we can become frontrunners in the green transition.

I think we are a perfect match!

Together we will build, and rebuild, green value chains in Europe.
And we will create new business opportunities and green jobs in both countries.

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Norwegian and French authorities share ambitions when it comes to green policies.

I can assure you that The Norwegian Government is strongly committed to speeding up the green transition.

Some of us met at the “French-Norwegian decarbonization forum” in September 2022. Or during the French-Norwegian day in Oslo last October.

Back then I talked about The Norwegian Government’s “Green industrial Initiative”, Norway’s most ambitious industrial policy ever, that was launched in June 2022.

Last autumn we launched the 2.0-Road map of the Green Industrial Initiative.

And I have to say the sequel is just as good as the first one!
In short: Our green industrial policies are twofold.
We want to develop new, green industries.

And we want our existing industries to use innovation and technology to become even greener.

Based on that, the first version of our Green Industrial Initiative emphasized seven sectors where Norway has every chance to contribute in the green transition:

• Hydrogen
• Carbon capture and storage
• The battery industry
• Offshore wind
• Greening of the most power-intensive industries
• Forestry and forest bioeconomy
• Green shipping

In the updated Road Map we included two new focus areas:

• Manufacturing
• And solar PV

In total we have nine focus areas where we believe that Norway has advantages in the green transition, and where we have a lot to offer.

None of us can succeed in this enormous transition alone.

We must work with our close partners, like France, to inspire and learn from each other.

One plus one is often more than two.

Some areas that have a great potential for cooperation are carbon capture and storage, offshore wind and solar PV. 

This can be illustrated by today’s announcement from

EDF Renewables and Deep Wind Offshore, that they are extending their collaboration on offshore wind in Norway.

In addition to the Utsira Nord tender, the consortium will also target the auction round in 2025.

A great example of a close and fruitful French-Norwegian cooperation.

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Last year former Minister of Industry Roland Lescure, travelled to a small place on the coast of Western Norway called Øygarden, together with a large French business delegation.

They got to experience how Equinor, Total Energies and Shell are working together to develop a major carbon capture and storage-project called Northern Lights, which is part of the even greater Langskip-project.

In Øygarden, these companies are showing us what we can accomplish when we work together, across the private and public sector, and across nations.

This is the recipe for success.

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Dear friends,

We are facing great challenges in the green transition, but also great opportunities.

On days when the world looks gloomy, taking a step back and looking at the capabilities we have, the group of friends we are, gives us the spirit to keep going, pushing harder for the transition to take place.

Therefore, I am very pleased and honoured to state that my French counterpart Director General Thomas Courb and I will be signing a Memorandum of Understanding for a Strategic Partnership on green industrial transformation here today.
It will mark an important milestone for an ever closer
French-Norwegian cooperation for a green and just transition.

Chers amis – chers partenaires.

Je suis très heureux de cette coopération entre la France et la Norvège et entre nos entreprises pour un avenir plus vert.

Merci pour votre attention.

Thank you!

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