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– Arendal is the closest to perfection we have. We focus on the environment. This, combined with the infrastructure, logistics, and overall price, means that Eyde Energipark pulled out the longest straw.
This is what Morrow Batteries CEO Terje Andersen tells NRK.
In November, the factory’s top management inspected Arendal. Tonight, they agreed to build what they aim to become the most sustainable battery factory in the world.
Terje Andersen, CEO of Morrow Batteries.
Photo: NRK
Must serve Europe
The factory produces batteries for the automotive and shipbuilding industries. Both industries are experiencing battery shortages.
– We will produce the greenest battery in the world. At Arendal, we have fantastic capacity that allows us to serve the largest and most demanding markets in Europe, says Andersen.
Morrow Batteries has, among others, Agder Energi and Bjørn Rune Gjelsten on the owner’s side.
Agder County Mayor Arne Thomassen says it means a lot to the entire region that the factory is established in Arendal.
– I think that now many have received a fantastic Christmas gift. We need new jobs in Agder. At the same time, this means a lot for green change, says Thomassen.
Arne Thomassen, Agder County Mayor, believes that the establishment of the battery factory in Arendal will mean a lot to the region.
Photo: Svein Sundsdal / NRK
Close to E18
The factory will provide between 2,000 and 2,500 jobs in Sørlandet.
– I think it is important to get these jobs on the outskirts of Agder. They desperately need more jobs, says Thomassen.
The factory will be close to the new E18 between Tvedestrand and Arendal. The municipality has already planned a 100-acre parcel. The plot can be expanded up to nine times larger as needed.
Construction is expected to begin in just over two years. The factory has a cost of NOK 5 billion.
In addition to Eyde Energipark, Støleheia in Kristiansand, Grovane in Vennesla and Lista also entered the competition for the factory.
Morrow Batteries has decided that the new sustainable battery factory will be located in Arendal.
Photo: Per-Kåre Sandbakk / NRK Aerial photo
– A new industrial adventure
The initiative originally came from Frederic Hauge and Bellona. The Environmental Foundation also has a minor stake in the ownership of the company.
– Five years of bloodshed has made this technology reversible. This has formed the basis for a potential new industrial venture, Frederic Hauge told NRK when news broke from the battery factory in May.
