PM Jens Stoltenberg visited Norske Skog Skogn
The Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg, and the Minister of Trade and Industry, Trond Giske, visited Norske Skog Skogn on Thursday 17 March. The background of the visit was the Prime Minister's wish to visit an industrial company in the Trondheim region and hear about the company's opportunities and challenges.
There was a meeting with mill management, union representatives and the mayor of the municipality of Levanger. The presentation given by the mill manager Svein Aurstad focused on the company's challenges in a tough paper market: exports/foreign exchange, access to local and national wood, and the energy situation.
The Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg in conversation with first operator Håkon Magnus Christiansen.
In addition, the general manager of Industrikraft Midt-Norge, Olav Norberg, briefly informed about plans for a gas power plant at Norske Skog Skogn.
After the meeting, there was a tour of the mill where the Prime Minister was given further information about the company, met some employees and answered questions from members of the media who attended the tour.
– Norske Skog Skogn has already entered into a long term power contract with Statkraft until 2023. The mill is a role model to other industrial companies, and be an inspiration for others to enter into such agreements to secure jobs, says Stoltenberg to NRK. He added in relation to the difficult power shortage situation in Mid- and South Norway that: – Todays situation shows that we must build new power transmission lines in Norway. We cannot live with a situation with a serious threat of power shortage.
- It is very important for us to meet with top politicians and inform them of our challenges and points of view, said Svein Aurstad.