[en] A few years ago, Norske Skog Saugbrugs in Halden, Norway, invested NOK 180 mill in a new combustion plant for bio-fuel. In 2001, the plant produced 400 GWh and so replaced about 35 000 tonnes of oil. Considering the Kyoto Agreement, the profitability is even greater. The capacity of the boiler is 400 - 450 GWh, which covers more than 40 percent of the paper factory's need for thermal energy. The paper factory in Halden is one of the largest in Europe. About half of the bio-fuel derives from the factory's own production, which is an important reason why the price of bio-energy is less than the price of oil. At the same time the use of the biomass for energy production implies that bark and mud does not pile up in the factory. The remaining half of the biomass, the external half, is wood returned from building activities in the form of wood chippings, one-time pallets and similar. This also solves a social problem. The bio-fuel plant uses a fluidized bed boiler of very high efficiency. This implies very small emissions of NOx and CO. Particles are removed by means of an electro filter. The system meets the requirements made by the EU and by Norwegian pollution control authorities

[en] The industries in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland struggle to adapt to European standards of energy and environment. The Norwegian Energy Efficiency Group (NEEG) is establishing a network for the food processing industries in these four countries. The goal is to make this sector more energy efficient and friendly to the environment before the countries join the EU in 2004. The four countries have defined five strategic goals for the industry: (1) Improved environment, (2) Energy efficiency, (3) Reduced consumption of natural resources, (4) Production of ''safe food'' and (5) Competitive power on the EU market and at home

[en] Hydrogen-powered vehicles may offer environmental advantages compared to petrol- or diesel-powered vehicles provided the hydrogen is manufactured by using renewable energy or by conversion of natural gas. From a general environmental point of view it is not appropriate in the short term to use hydrogen for lighting and heating purposes

[en] The emission of climate gases in Norway increased by more than six percent from 1990 to 2000. From 1999 to 2000, however, the emission decreased by one percent. It is doubtful whether this decrease continues into 2001. There are several reasons for the decline from 1999 to 2000 such as a mild winter, closing of air routes, increased efficiency of automobile engines etc. However, the industrial emissions and the emissions from the offshore petroleum activities increased in 2000

[en] The small village of Verknetulomskij near Murmansk in North-Russia is a very cold place, and its 3000 inhabitants have so far depended on huge volumes of sulphur-containing fuel oil to survive the tough winters. The population largely consists of pensioners, unemployed, forest- and sawmill workers, all with very poor economy. The local authority has for years had to use most of its small tax income to cover the very large heating expenses. However, a new heating central that uses wood waste from the local sawmill free of charge has recently been put in operation. This eliminates the extreme costs of the old oil-burning plant and rids the local community of the annoying pollution. In addition, the emission of carbon dioxide has been reduced, and the Verknetulomskij project, which is a joint Russian/Norwegian project, is very effective in reducing the global warming. Most of the villages in North-West Russia are comparable to Verknetulomskij, and this project is therefore important as a demo project

[en] The article describes advantages of and methods for combustion of waste gas from depositories. the chemical composition of waste gases and pollution problems are mentioned

[en] Better co-ordination of the energy- and environment policies among the Nordic countries can be very profitable from the socio-economic point of view and facilitate the fulfilment of the Kyoto agreement. A Swedish calculation shows that up to 10 billion USD can be saved by building a trans-nordic gasline and at the same time preparing for a common implementation of the Kyoto agreement, combined with increased electricity trade, improving the efficiency and increasing the use of renewable energy sources. The consumption of natural gas must then increase threefold the next 25 years. There is no alternative to natural gas of the same potential if coal and oil are to be replaced to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide. The importance of natural gas is further increased by the phase-out of nuclear energy in Sweden. After 2025 the use of natural gas will be reduced and in 2040 biomass energy, wind energy and solar energy will contribute as much as the natural gas, that is, 250 TWh. Throughout the entire period more than half of the electricity production will be hydropower. It is presupposed that the cogeneration sector and the district heating network are substantially expanded, even in South Norway. The Nordic energy system is quite flexible with respect to fulfilling future CO₂ targets. Although the different Nordic countries have different commitments with respect to the Kyoto agreement, they will profit economically from acting jointly within the sum of their individual emission quotas

[en] There is a large potential for projects in Northwest Russia aiming at reducing CO₂ and other greenhouse gas emissions. Many countries are currently showing interest in buying carbon credits from Russia in order to meet their Kyoto agreement commitments. Even though the body of rules is not yet in place there are a number of efforts at identifying possible projects that may give Norway and other countries much needed carbon credits, and simultaneously provide Russian industry and municipalities with investment aid that can make industry processes and district heating systems more effective. The Nordic countries have established an experimental scheme for joint implementation in the Baltic region (ml)

[en] Statoil is establishing the world's first large-scale plant for CO₂ capture at Mongstad, Norway, before 2015. The plant may be epoch-making for the planet's environment and for climate challenges if the project succeeds. The CO₂ capture plant will be built simultaneously with a combined power and heating station which will produce 2,3 TWh electric power and 2,8 TWh heat annually, with nearly 80 percent power efficiency. The project has been established with political and financial support from the Norwegian Stoltenberg government. Further details on the project are provided (ml)

[en] The article discusses some recent trends in the consumption of electric energy in Norway. The price on electric energy has risen strongly and politicians and others have asked the consumers to economize on electricity. Private households have been aiming at economizing and energy-intensive industries have indeed reduced the power consumption. However, other industries and consumers have a considerable potential for saving energy, but are not doing much about it