The Standing Committee on Energy and Environment considered a private member's bill from ten MPs seeking stable conditions for small hydropower. The proposal asks the government to ensure that the ground rent tax and natural resources tax on hydropower are not lowered from current levels, and to instruct the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate to speed up processing of small hydropower permits. The committee, composed of members from the Labour Party, Socialist Left Party, Red Party, and Green Party, recommends rejecting the proposal.
AI-generated summary · Model: Claude Haiku 4.5 · Generated: 14 May 2026
These are the proposals in the document, not decisions. See the votes for the outcome.
Bill from the Progress Party, Conservative Party, Centre Party, and Liberal Party: The Storting urges the government to ensure that the threshold for ground rent tax and natural resources tax on hydropower is not lowered from current levels during this parliamentary term.
Bill from the Progress Party, Conservative Party, Centre Party, and Liberal Party: The Storting urges the government to instruct the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate to prioritize faster processing of small hydropower permits where these can effectively strengthen the power balance.
Bill from the Labour Party and Green Party: The Storting urges the government to ensure that important small hydropower projects are also prioritized in the directorate's processing, provided this does not delay licensing for larger projects.
Committee recommendation: Document 8:31 S (2025–2026) – Private member's bill from MPs Aleksander Stokkebø, Nikolai Astrup, Tor Mikkel Wara, Martin Virkesdal Jonsterhaug, Maren Grøthe, Bjørn Arild Gram, Hans Edvard Askjer, Jørgen H. Kristiansen, Grunde Almeland, and Abid Raja on stable conditions for increased small hydropower – is rejected.