The project’s overall goal for developing the Kråkøya coastal port and industrial area is to create Norway’s first climate-neutral industrial district. This is an ambitious but necessary goal to be relevant and competitive in the future.
Kråkøya in Nærøysund Municipality is Norway’s largest aquaculture municipality and a significant region for fishing. Nærøysund is home to seafood companies with a total turnover of more than NOK 6 billion. Kråkøya coastal port will carry out substantial developments in the coming years. New solutions for logistics and supply of zero-emissions fuel for maritime transport will present new challenges for planning and area processes.
In the time leading up to 2030, many municipalities in Norway’s Trøndelag county will face similar challenges. The aim of this project is to help politicians and planners throughout the county make climate-friendly, cost-effective, and future-oriented choices by identifying and highlighting opportunities, preparing scenarios, and quantifying area and investment needs.
The Project participants are
- Namdalskysten Chamber of Commerce
- RENERGY
- Nord ‐ Trøndelag Harbor
- Rørvik IKS
- NTE
- TrønderEnergi
- Sweco
- Nærøysund Municipality
- Trøndelag County
The project is funded by Nærøysund Municipality, Trøndelag County, and the project participants.
Background
The Kråkøya coastal port and industrial area is located in Nærøysund Municipality in Trøndelag. Kråkøya port was opened in May 2018. There are extensive plans and ambitions for further expansion of Kråkøya coastal port and industrial area, where the aim is significant increases in current activity and new establishments.
The extensive aquaculture and fishing activity in Nærøysund creates large quantities of goods that must be transported out of the municipality. An important goal of port development is to transition the transportation of goods from roads to the sea. Another important goal is facilitating business development that supports a more sustainable and future-oriented aquaculture industry. This includes building up service facilities and enabling alternatives to fossil fuels that reduce emissions.
The transition from fossil to renewable energy in the transport sector requires completely new infrastructure at coast-mountain junctions. Planning for climate-friendly development is a demanding exercise. Technological development is fast, and it is difficult to predict who the winners of tomorrow will be. It is neither desirable to cordon off large areas in anticipation of what may come nor to gamble and be left with suddenly old technology. At the same time, there is substantial risk in doing nothing at all. The availability of climate-friendly infrastructure is becoming an increasingly strong competitive advantage both for existing businesses and not least as a draw for new establishments.
Nærøysund Municipality has a business structure typical for municipalities along the coast of Trøndelag. Business is dominated by aquaculture and other maritime industries, which account for significant value creation – and large greenhouse gas emissions. To clarify what market opportunities exist for non-fossil energy sources within these industries, how the market can be expected to develop, what opportunities the municipality and other stakeholders have to act as a driving force for development, as well as what planning clarifications and permits are required to realize facilities, will therefore be of great value to municipalities along the entire coast of Trøndelag.
