Nordic Energy Co Operation

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/politiknord2021-731/ The Nordic energy ministers present a new Nordic energy policy co-operation programme for the period 2022–2024. The Nordic Region wants to be the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by 2030, and that is also the overall vision for co-operation on energy. A green transition of the Nordic societies will not be possible without a substantial green energy transition. As the Nordic energy systems are closely linked, working together on joint initiatives will lead to a green transition that is more cost-effective and socially sustainable than if the countries were each to achieve the goals individually. In 2020, the Nordic Council of Ministers for Energy Policy (MR-E) adopted seven focus areas as input into the action plan for Our Vision 2030. These will structure Nordic energy co-operation during the period covered by the programme and be at the heart of all of the work: - The green transition of the energy sector - Closer collaboration on research to aid the green transition - Nordic co-operation in the electricity market - Energy efficiency, technology and behavioural change - Working together on EU/EEA-related energy questions - Social acceptance of new energy plants and the green transition - The green transition of the transport sector.

On 27 October 2015, the Nordic Council of Ministers for Business, Energy and Regional Policy (MR-NER) decided to carry out a strategic review of Nordic co-operation on energy and how it could be developed over the next 5–10 years. The strategic review is part of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ reform project initiated by its Secretary General, Dagfinn Høybråten. Strategic reviews have previously been conducted on foreign and security policy, health and labour-market co-operation. The remit was to present 10–15 concrete proposals that would further enhance co-operation in areas in which significant positive outcomes have been achieved over the past two decades. The Paris Climate Change Conference of December 2015 and the EU’s goal of working towards a European Energy Union make this review particularly timely. It is also based on the Nordic countries’ own reviews of their national climate and energy policies. The geopolitical landscape is currently in a state of flux – global trade and climate policies are under pressure, and nationalist tendencies are emerging in many countries. This presents many challenges to Nordic energy co-operation, which has achieved ground-breaking results based on cross-border co-operation. Various studies have also shown that the Nordic Region has made similarly dramatic gains in terms of welfare. The time has come to assess how the Nordic countries can build on this success, despite adverse international trends. This review seeks to identify these challenges, present proposals for how the Nordic countries can move forward, and inspire further discussion and debate. On 27 October 2015, the Nordic Council of Ministers for Business, Energy and Regional Policy (MR-NER) decided to carry out a strategic review of Nordic co-operation on energy and how it could be developed over the next 5–10 years. The strategic review is part of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ reform project initiated by its Secretary General, Dagfinn Høybråten. Strategic reviews have previously been conducted on foreign and security policy, health and labour-market co-operation. The remit was to present 10–15 concrete proposals that would further enhance co-operation in areas in which significant positive outcomes have been achieved over the past two decades. The Paris Climate Change Conference of December 2015 and the EU’s goal of working towards a European Energy Union make this review particularly timely. It is also based on the Nordic countries’ own reviews of their national climate and energy policies. The geopolitical landscape is currently in a state of flux – global trade and climate policies are under pressure, and nationalist tendencies are emerging in many countries. This presents many challenges to Nordic energy co-operation, which has achieved ground-breaking results based on cross-border co-operation. Various studies have also shown that the Nordic Region has made similarly dramatic gains in terms of welfare. The time has come to assess how the Nordic countries can build on this success, despite adverse international trends. This review seeks to identify these challenges, present proposals for how the Nordic countries can move forward, and inspire further discussion and debate. On 27 October 2015, the Nordic Council of Ministers for Business, Energy and Regional Policy (MR-NER) decided to carry out a strategic review of Nordic co-operation on energy and how it could be developed over the next 5–10 years. The strategic review is part of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ reform project initiated by its Secretary General, Dagfinn Høybråten. Strategic reviews have previously been conducted on foreign and security policy, health and labour-market co-operation. The remit was to present 10–15 concrete proposals that would further enhance co-operation in areas in which significant positive outcomes have been achieved over the past two decades. The Paris Climate Change Conference of December 2015 and the EU’s goal of working towards a European Energy Union make this review particularly timely. It is also based on the Nordic countries’ own reviews of their national climate and energy policies. The geopolitical landscape is currently in a state of flux – global trade and climate policies are under pressure, and nationalist tendencies are emerging in many countries. This presents many challenges to Nordic energy co-operation, which has achieved ground-breaking results based on cross-border co-operation. Various studies have also shown that the Nordic Region has made similarly dramatic gains in terms of welfare. The time has come to assess how the Nordic countries can build on this success, despite adverse international trends. This review seeks to identify these challenges, present proposals for how the Nordic countries can move forward, and inspire further discussion and debate.

What is Russia's potential as a partner in the global race towards a low-carbon economy? This book provides a balanced analysis of Russia's impressive, understudied and sometimes surprising strengths in the renewable energy sector. The work is a first of its kind, exploring the significant political and economic obstacles to developing renewable energy in Russia. The volume explores whether effective partnerships may be achieved by combining Russia's excellence in basic research and its diverse natural resources with Western management skills - and aiming for innovation and exports. Solar power, electricity reform, market niches for renewable energy and Nordic-Russian partnership are all examined in detail. Providing crucial insights for academics, policy-makers and business actors seeking to cooperate with Russian partners, this groundbreaking book raises the vitally important question of how key countries such as Russia will approach global climate politics and their own energy supply in the post-Kyoto world.

The Mini Green Book about the West Nordic renewable resources and the perspectives for their use is a short presentation and description of the West Nordic sparsely populated regions' energy supply and the possibilities for a change towards greater use of renewable energy sources. It is the foundation for discussions in the Nordic Council of Ministers concerning Nordic energy co-operation and research, and is a catalyst for establishing contacts with the Nordic countries' neighbours about an extended energy co-operation for the areas and regions that are characterised by being sparsely populated and having widely-spaced local communities. The information shows that the West Nordic countries collectively represent a broad spectrum of renewable energy sources, and there is great potential for greater utilisation of them.