VIBORG: The Energy Museum at Tange Sø has lost its operating subsidy of six million kroner, and thus there is no money for 12 out of the 18 employees, the museum informs, which has received a final rejection from Energy Minister Lars Aagaard (M) on the museum's application to be allocated operating funds for 2024 and beyond.
Since 2002, the museum has received a state operating subsidy paid via Energinet for its operations. The Danish Energy Supervisory Authority decided in 2022 that it was no longer legal to pay out this subsidy.
- The then Minister of Energy in the area, Dan Jørgensen (S), promised in a letter to the museum that he would help us further, so that we could secure the subsidy through other means. For incomprehensible reasons, Lars Aagaard (M) has not felt bound by this promise, and we are therefore in an impossible financial situation, which means that half of the museum's finances are gone, and that we must therefore lay off the majority of the employees. In factual figures, this concerns 12 out of 18 employees, according to a press release signed by board chair Karin Gaardsted (S).
Will on the Finance Act
Board chair Karin Gaardsted states: "The museum is in a very unfortunate situation. We were thrown out with the bathwater financially when the Ministerial change in the Ministry of Energy 8 months ago. We have been ruled out of the Ministry of Energy, and at the moment it is impossible to get under the culture because work is being done on a museum reform that will not be decided until 2024. The board has a great responsibility. Since there is no prospect of operating funds, we will therefore have to take drastic action and significantly reduce the number of employees. And we are really sorry about that."
The board has contacted a large number of parliamentarians, both rapporteurs and all locally elected members of the Folketing in the region to get their support, that the Energy Museum will be included in the budget bill this autumn. These are the people we need help from, otherwise the museum will close permanently. Gaardsted continues:
"The museum is unique. It is Denmark's only energy museum, and now we rightly fear for its future. At a time when both climate and energy are high on the agenda, I believe that disseminating knowledge about energy and climate-friendly solutions to schoolchildren, among others, is incredibly relevant. Denmark is historically centrally located in the development of renewable energy. Children and young people should be aware of this history, and they should be inspired to invent future solutions. That is why I am surprised that the minister is in practice closing down the museum, which can focus on energy and its importance for society and the climate. The board will continue to work intensively to obtain the necessary funds so that the museum can reopen to the public."
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