The government has recently presented an initiative in its rural development plan. The proposal is that the state establishes an annual pool of 200 million DKK, which will be distributed to the municipalities that contribute most to the expansion of renewable energy on land.
However, if you ask the seven mayors from Ringkøbing-Skjern, Ikast-Brande, Herning, Struer, Skive, Lemvig and Holstebro, the government's proposal is not good enough.
In a press release, the mayors of Central and West Jutland present their own proposal, in which they write that they will include 151 million DKK from the state as a "band-aid" to do a major job of producing green electricity for the entire country.
- It is us (the municipalities, ed.) who are responsible for the location of the plants. We are the ones who should have the dialogue with the citizens about it, and we are the ones who should administer it, says Mayor of Ringkøbing-Skjern Hans Østergaard (V) to TV Midtvest.
"Like feeding the dog its own tail"
The mayors propose that the 151 million should be financed via the electricity tax. Specifically, the money should be collected by setting the price at 4 øre per KWh of electricity produced. It is a solution that, according to Hans Østergaard, will not only favor new projects, as the mayors fear will be the case with the government's rural district proposal:
- I am fundamentally against the fact that in the original proposal, money would only be added to new projects, while taking it from the block grant. It is like feeding the dog its own tail, Hans Østergaard tells TV Midtvest.
The government itself describes its proposal as a competition. If you as a municipality want to get your hands on the millions from the proposed pool of 200 million kroner, you must make sure to be among the municipalities that contribute the most to the expansion of renewable energy plants. This was stated by Climate Minister Lars Aagaard (M) in an interview with Avisen Danmark, shortly before the rural district proposal was presented.
- It is a competition between the municipalities to see who can best make land available. So it is not just four to five municipalities that are participating. I would guess that it is rather around 30 municipalities that we are talking about here, the minister said.
According to TV Midtvest, the proposal from the seven mayors is not a final offer for an alternative and - according to the mayors - a fairer solution. The hope is that their proposal will spark a debate.
Listen to Kort Fortalt
What does the Regional Council say about the government's proposal? In Kort Fortalt, there was both praise and criticism from the chairman of the joint council, Steffen Damsgaard (V). In the podcast, the chairman emphasizes that the municipalities should not have too high expectations of the initiative:
- If this helps bring Denmark into geographical balance, perhaps it is too important to attach too much importance to the rural initiative, says Steffen Damsgaard.
Get an explanation of why, and listen to the entire analysis from the Regional Council in Kort Fortalt.
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