Is large-scale battery production a means to maintain the good life in Norway? The planned gigafactory in Arendal shows Norway's enthusiasm for post-oil reindustrialisation.
Norway has the highest electric vehicle adoption rate in the world. The electric cars are powered by lithium-ion batteries, which are also used to stabilise renewable energy grids. Does that justify a planned gigafactory for large-scale lithium-ion battery production in Arendal?
Apparently so, according to local narratives. Not to mention the 2500 jobs that the factory promises along with the huge injection of wealth into the region.
‘Biggest Christmas present ever’
Between 2021 and 2022, researcher Anna-Sophie Hobi spent seven months in Arendal exploring how the local government had worked hard to win the race to host Morrow Batteries’ NOK 30 billion (USD 3.2 billion) gigafactory. The attempts paid off. In December 2020, Arendal won the bid resulting in what locals called their ‘biggest Christmas present ever’.
The project marked a turning point for the coastal town, bringing a wave of optimism and media celebration.
Morrow Batteries planned to produce battery cells with a capacity of 43 GWh, creating 2500 jobs and attracting thousands of new residents. Since December 2020, Morrow’s first factory has been constructed and is currently in the early stages of production.
Amid recent failures of similar gigafactory projects such as Freyr in Mo i Rana and Northvolt in Sweden, Morrow is one of the few remaining battery producers with plans for large-scale Nordic battery production.
Nostalgia for Norway’s industrial successes
In her new doctoral research, Hobi explored how - despite potential environmental impacts of the large-scale industrial project - the planned factory was successfully framed as a collective moral effort to ensure prosperity in a post-oil era.
She discovered that battery production in Norway has become tied to nostalgic and symbolic stories of Norway’s past hydropower-based industrialisation and the oil boom.
“I saw how battery production is anchored in retrospective and almost mythical narratives of national success,” says the researcher at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. “The gigafactory represents more than just a response to the climate crisis. It reflects ambitions to align Norway’s industrial identity with a future of stability and continuity.”
Preserving social capitalism
Amid growing efforts to reduce carbon emissions, batteries are widely framed as a key technological solution to the climate crisis. Proponents of lithium-ion battery production in Norway argue that it provides a means to maintain prosperity in one of the world’s wealthiest and most generous welfare states, all whilst avoiding drastic societal changes.
The desire to sustain the ‘good life’ with what many see as an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels seems to outweigh opposing environmental concerns. These include the fact that the gigafactory’s planned location is near a protected nature area with potential impacts on local wildlife including marine life and bird populations. There are also concerns about noise pollution and the visual impact of construction and operations.
Why it matters
Hobi’s research contributes to our understanding of reindustrialisation and energy transitions in these times of rapid change. It also complements critical research on green growth by exploring how economic development is morally framed.
As Norway and other countries navigate the complexities of so-called green transitions, Hobi offers insight into why growth-oriented solutions continue to dominate. Even amid concerns about resource use and environmental impacts.
“The rapid expansion of battery production and the concept of reindustrialisation is emotionally and culturally charged in Norway,” says Hobi. “It reflects deeper desires for stability, continuity, and prosperity amid global transitions."
"Understanding the emotional and moral motivations behind industrial climate solutions can help bridge the gap between critics and supporters.”
Anna-Sophie Hobi will publicly defend her doctoral thesis Reindustrialising Tomorrow: An ethnographic study of a future gigafactory and the ‘good life’ in a Norwegian municipality on 21 November at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. Full details on how to attend can be found in the event webpage.
Contact:
Anna-Sophie Hobi
PhD Fellow
Department of International Environment and Development Studies, Noragric