Norway's Largest Green Industrial Site Greenlighted by Local Politicians

The local politicians of Orkland municipality greenlighted the plans for the Eiktyr industrial site. "This is the most important milestone in developing Norway's new large, green industrial site," says managing director Dorte Solvang of Norsk Industriutvikling. 

Orkland municipality's politicians have today, April 9, sanctioned the area regulation plan for the Eiktyr industrial site in the Ustmarka area. This is a favourable decision for further planning and establishment of the Eiktyr industrial site where, among other things, Elinor Batteries' gigafactory will be established. 

The municipal council has greenlighted the plans with some additions. There are now stricter requirements for how the area should be developed, especially what concerns nature. The municipality decided to go for a nature-neutral approach, meaning that one must restore nature elsewhere in Orkland as development progresses. The council has also considered land usage by making sure the area plans do not leave land fallow. 

Substantial work has been done 

The politicians' yes to the Ustmarka plan also means a yes to Norway's largest green industrial park – something that will pave the way for large-scale and long-term development of new value creation and employment in Orkland and Trøndelag. In the long term, establishing a battery cluster could lead to thousands of jobs. 

Dorte Bae Solvang is the CEO of Norsk Industriutvikling, the company behind the Eiktyr site. She is excited about the political decision, which means that Orkland municipality officially favours the Eiktyr development. 

"We have been working on this area regulation for two years and have put in enormous work. Our vision has now gained the local anchoring we had hoped for. We will establish a large, green, circular industrial site that will interact with Orkland's existing industry. The area is uniquely suitable in terms of technical and social infrastructure, Solvang says. 

The first to be established at the Eiktyr site is the Elinor Batteries gigafactory. 

Elinor Batteries plans to produce and supply sustainable batteries to a growing global market. Based on Norway's competitive, renewable energy and sustainable raw materials, Elinor Batteries will become an essential player in supplying a product experiencing increasing global demand. 

"Norway is ranked as one of the countries in Europe best suited for the battery industry, and Orkland has what it takes. I am happy that we have now officially received local support to establish the factory. It is a future-oriented political decision to facilitate green industry here, Arne Fredrik Lånke, general manager and co-founder of Elinor Batteries, says. 

Can move forward now 

Terje Andersen – the chairman of Norsk Industriutvikling < UNK> – is also satisfied that the Orkland politicians now adopted the area plan. 

"This allows us to move forward in the dialogue with several stakeholders who have expressed a desire to establish business in this area. Many interesting industrial establishments are looking for the right location, but you cannot make such agreements without these area regulations. We have a very exciting time ahead of us," he says. 

The municipality will now meet with the State Administrator for mediation on the area plan. 

"We have worked intensively to meet the State Administrator's objections to the plan. This has resulted in most of the objections being waived and the first stage of construction being accepted by the State Administrator. We hope a good solution can also be found in the mediation for the remaining areas, so we get a solid overall area plan to form long-term development of circular industry on a large scale, says Dorte Bae Solvang. 

For more information, contact:  

Dorte Bae Solvang, CEO of Norsk Industriutvikling, phone: +47 95258592 

Arne Fredrik Lånke, CEO of Elinor Batteries, phone: +47 97436562