On Monday, a historically broad majority of 11 out of the 12 parties in the Danish Parliament announced that they had agreed on a new Finance Act for 2024. It is not surprising that this is an agreement that pleases Finance Minister Nicolai Wammen.
- This shows that there is broad support for the proposal that the government has come up with. This means that the Finance Act that we can present is even better than the one that the government came up with in August, says Nicolai Wammen (S).
The government's Finance Act proposal set aside 500 million DKK, which the parties could negotiate on. However, that reserve is about to become twice as large, and part of this reserve is in the Finance Act for 2024, among other things, has been implemented in the form of 82.0 million DKK for 36 local initiatives across the country.
The money will go, among other things, to for a wave energy test center at Hanstholm Harbor, which will receive 1.5 million DKK, while the Climate People's Conference and the Baltic Energy Forum will each receive one million DKK in support.
In addition, an additional 150 million DKK will be allocated in the Finance Act to extend the district heating pool by one year in 2024,
Closed Energy Museum receives support until 2024
One of the other local initiatives that will also receive support is the Energy Museum at Tange, which has been granted a total of 5.8 million DKK so that the museum can also remain open in 2024. The museum announced in August that it was forced to close to the public.
The reason for the closure was that the museum has received a government operating subsidy paid out via Energinet for the operation of the museum since 2002. The Danish Public Utilities Authority decided in 2022 that it was no longer legal to pay out this subsidy.
Therefore, the museum had applied for new support from the Minister of Climate, Energy and Utilities Lars Aagaard (M) for operating funds for 2024 and beyond, but it was rejected in August, when the museum announced the closure, although with the hope of help from the Finance Act. That help has now arrived, and it is not surprising that the museum's director, Tore Juel Geer, is pleased.
- When we closed for the season in the autumn holidays, we actually also expected that it would be a closure of the museum, so we are incredibly happy that someone has thought of us and put our museum into the local pool, he says.
The director does not yet dare to say what the museum's future looks like until there has been a meeting of the board on December 13. The lack of clarity is due to the fact that the museum has already laid off a large part of its employees and closed down exhibitions. However, he hopes that they can make ends meet so that the museum opens as usual at Easter.
- We have to find out what we can do in 2024, and how much we can keep open, and how much we think is reasonable, and how we do it in the right way, now that someone has allocated some funds for us, says Tore Juel Geer.
Continued on the hunt for money
Although the director is happy, there is also a bit of wormwood in the cup. In connection with the allocation of operating funds in the Finance Act, a comment is attached.
"The Energy Museum is encouraged to obtain external financing from 2025 onwards," it says.
Therefore, as a rule, there is only support for the museum in 2024. Green Power Denmark had otherwise requested operating support for the museum for four years on behalf of the energy industry. This means that the museum must once again work from a one-year time perspective.
- Well, it is a bit of a risky way to run a museum. So it would be nice to have slightly longer grants, where there could be some peace, but now there is peace of mind, says Tore Juel Geer, who also expresses faith that the financing for the museum's operation can be found in the industry.
- We have made a huge prospectus for a transformation of the Energy Museum into a new energy museum. I would say that in that respect we are attractive to collaborate with, because imagine if we could succeed in creating some extra good frameworks for the Energy Museum out here at a time when it makes sense. And what we have done, I actually think, means that the energy industry would probably like to play with us, he says, and indicates that operating support that ensures a year longer opening will be a help in that process.
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