Minister of Climate, Energy and Utilities Lars Aagaard (M) will soon explain his ministry's role in the case of a press release that was never sent out. Including his own knowledge of it, writes Zetland, who has gained access to internal documents.
Eight parties in the Danish Parliament, outside the government, are therefore calling on the minister to consult on the matter, which concerns delays in the green transition, climate spokesperson Leila Stockmarr (EL) announced in a press release.
According to the media, the company Energinet, which falls under the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities, decided last year in collaboration with the ministry not to issue a press release with bad news for the green transition.
Energinet had previously conducted an analysis that showed that more than half of the construction projects that are to prepare the energy grid for the green transition have been delayed.
Energinet: "A draft"
In the unissued press release, which Zetland has in his possession, Energinet describes the extensive delays, and that these will have consequences for both electricity prices, the climate and the risk of power outages.
- It is quite true that we had a draft press release in our considerations, says Energinet's operations director Søren Dupont Kristensen to Zetland.
- But the conclusion was that we would rather go out and give the individual affected projects direct notice, so that they would not have to read a general announcement and then perhaps hear from us afterwards what it meant for them, he says.
According to the operations director, it is not that unusual for Energinet to "work with several scenarios for how we will communicate this". Søren Dupont Kristensen says that Energinet made the decision not to issue the press release. He says that it happened after discussions with the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities, who agreed with the assessment.
He does not remember whether the decision passed Lars Aagaard's desk. It has not been possible for Zetland to get an interview with the minister, who is in the USA. Ritzau is also trying to get a comment from the minister.
Zetland has spoken to Brian Vad Mathiesen, a professor of energy planning at Aalborg University, and Marie Münster, a professor of energy system analysis at DTU and a member of the Climate Council.
Both experts say that it is not possible to assess from Zetland's documentation how big the consequences of the delays will be for the green transition.
Denmark has a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 70 percent by 2030, when compared to the level in 1990.
Calls minister for consultation
Eight parties in the Danish Parliament want Lars Aagaard to consult in the Climate, Energy and Utilities Committee in the Danish Parliament.
- If the minister knew this and hid that knowledge from the Danish Parliament, then it is very, very, very serious. And then we simply have to have a discussion about whether we can continue to have confidence in the minister, says energy and supply spokesperson Dina Raabjerg (K).
In addition to the Conservatives, the Unity List, the Radicals, the Socialists, the Danish People's Party, the Liberal Alliance, the Danish Democrats and the Alternative are included in the call for consultation.
/ritzau/
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