Hordfast Municipalities want to prevent Nature Conservation Association from becoming co-owner – NRK Vestland

Last week, the Hordaland Nature Conservation Association received approval to buy the shares of lobbying company Hordfast AS.

County Leader Gabriel Fliflet explained that they are doing it to become co-owners and oppose the plans from within.

Now the question is whether the Association for the Conservation of Nature will have this opportunity anyway.

Mayor Gaute S. Epland in Stord and Kåre Martin Kleppe in Tysnes inform NRK that they wish to exercise the right of first refusal as a shareholder and thus block the acquisition of nature conservationists.

They write in an email that Stord is expected to buy three of the shares and Tysnes two.

– Hordfast is the most important project for the development of the municipality of Stord, Sunnhordland and all of western Norway. It is important to us to be part of the project and the company, so that we can work to achieve the fastest possible advance on the plans, says Epland.

– What “harm” could the Nature Conservation Association do to Hordfast AS?

– I think it’s limited. But this company has one purpose: to ensure the fastest possible completion. So it’s quite unnatural and weird that the actors who don’t want the project are co-owners.

Free E39

The case will be discussed in the chair in Stord today and in the chair in Tysnes on Thursday a week from now.

The Hordfast fjord crossing project south of Bergen is part of the grand vision for a ferry-free coastal trunk road on the E39 between Stavanger and Trondheim.

Hordfast is planned as a four-lane highway on a record five-kilometer bridge over Bjørnafjorden. Then through the landscape at Reksteren in Tysnes, and over the bridge towards Stord.

Supporters want a shorter travel time between Bergen, Haugesund and Stavanger, thus expanding the living and working regions.

Opponents want to avoid damage to nature and increase road traffic, and they think the price of $ 36.7 billion is too high.

Agreed to sell low

After the municipalities of Os and Fusa merged in Bjørnafjorden, and Terje Søviknes (Frp) lost the role of mayor and majority power, the new municipal council no longer wanted Hordfast.

Since this summer, the Bjørnafjorden municipality has tried to sell its shares in the company, but none of the other shareholders have expressed interest.

Thus, last week Mayor Trine Lindborg (Labor Party) accepted the Nature Conservation Association’s offer of NOK 10,000 for the five shares that the municipality of Os bought once for NOK 100,000.

– When the Association for the Conservation of Nature says that they want to use their equity participation to work towards the project, we believe that it is correct to use the right of first refusal that we have under the Companies Law.

– Why didn’t you come to the course when Bjørnafjorden contacted Dives this summer?

– We haven’t considered it until we see what the Nature Conservation Association will use the shares for.

Tysnes Mayor Kleppe also says his municipality has lived well with the fact that Bjørnafjorden held the shares and has seen no need to bid on them until now.

Do not overdo it

Both say they will give the same for the actions that the Nature Conservation Ban has offered.

– Sounds like a pretty good buy to me. One-tenth of what we ever paid for our shares, Epland says.

The mayor of Bjørnafjorden previously suggested that the other shareholders may have lost their commitment to the project, when they did not want to bid on the five shares. Epland and Kleppe deny that the enthusiasm has cooled.

– Absolutely not. It will increase the creation of value, expand the region of the labor market and housing. It’s also a good climate measure to shut down power-hungry ferries and replace much of the Stavanger-Bergen air traffic, Epland says.

Mayors think they get the majority to exercise the right of first refusal.

– A poll last night indicates a fairly large majority, says Epland.