High shortage of engineering expertise for battery industries

– It will be a sigh of relief for us. Now we need not so much messages, but actions.

That’s what Hanne Marit Henriksen, an educated engineer and principal board member, says NITO.

– This is good with an offensive battery strategy. But for us to be covered, we must have access to proper and adequate qualifications. We don’t have what we need here, and that’s very sad, says Henriksen.

There is a shortage of engineers across the country.

They are very tired Battery chargingSome believe it will replace oil and gas revenues.

Inefficiency:- It is urgent

Joined the government on Wednesday Norway’s first battery strategy.

It took place in the Mo Industrial Park, not far from the pilot factory of the privately owned company Fryer Battery.

With more battery factories coming up, skilled engineers are in high demand.

Freyr Battery Norway

Freyr Battery Norway manufactures batteries worldwide for the desktop and e-mobile battery market.

The stationary market is based on intermittent storage of solar and wind energy, while the e-mobile market can be anything from scooters to ships.

Hilde Birgitte Rønningsen, Communications Director of Freyr Battery Norway, explains:

Freire is working on building the first battery cell factory. It will be used for cell production for customer approval and as a training ground for employees of large gig factories.
The first factory will be approx. 60 employees and will be ready for production in the second half of 2022.
In parallel, the project organization responsible for the construction of factories will increase its presence in Moi Rana. The first one has already arrived from the project organization.
Freyr will build a total of five factories in Moi Rana with 1500 employees.
We manufacture cost-effective and environmentally friendly bag battery cells (pack cells) in Norway using American 24M technology.
24M technology offers higher energy density in battery cells and is up to 40% cheaper to manufacture.
They offer safer and faster production compared to conventional lithium ion batteries.
Annual generation capacity up to 43 GWh by 2025. This corresponds to the electricity for 800,000 electric cars.
The giant factory will consist of four factories and will be built in five construction phases. The first phase is a pilot plant to be commissioned in the first half of 2022 (375 MWh).

Factory 1: 5.3 GWh (2023)
Factory 2: 8 GWh (2024)
Factory 3: 10.6 GWh (2025)
Factory 4: 10.6 GWh (2025)
A pilot plant and factories 3 and 4 are under construction at the Port of Mo Industrial Park. Factories 2 and 3 are being constructed within the industrial park.

It has been eight years since employers in Norway experienced great difficulties in obtaining engineering expertise like today.

There is a huge shortage in Nordland.

The government’s ten-point plan aims to help Norway become a leading producer and develop a so-called profitable battery value chain.

During a press conference in Mo, the Minister of Trade and Industry recently announced that he will present a report to the Storting on capacity building in 2023.

– We are very happy about that, but we already have a lot of knowledge. We know we need to be tech savvy. Factories are coming up fast, Henriksen says, and something needs to happen now.

She thinks specifically about the need for continuing and further education to ensure that those already in the workforce are not obsolete.

The Minister agreed with NITO

Trade and Industry Minister Jan Christian Vestre (Labour) said the goal now is to ensure enough renewable energy in Norway to keep the carbon footprint as small as possible.

– We provide support for research and development, which are then employed by the companies themselves, and have big ambitions to make themselves greener. We are happy for that and will do our best to make it happen.

– What do you think about NITO’s concerns about capacity?

– Norway has the best engineers and skilled workers in the world, and many of them are doing well in green industries, including the battery value chain. I totally agree with NITO, it is urgent to educate more people. Therefore, the government is working to expand education provision in the districts where these job opportunities are created.

Vocational education will strengthen schools and make it easier to build real talent, Westray says.

We are also working on reforms that contribute to this work, he says.

– But does the expertise need to be sourced from outside or can everything be developed in Norway?

– Just as we built the oil and gas adventure in the 70s, we rely on little outside help. But in the battery strategy, the government makes it clear that the goal is to build its own cutting-edge expertise in batteries in Norway.

According to Westre, they will do this by working closely with industry and academia.

– A Battery Vocational School among others with already established Vocational Schools. We are also seeing secondary schools develop their own educational offerings. We think Norway can build this capability.

About 600 human years for a long time

The Giga Arctic battery factory is scheduled to start production in the first half of 2024.

Thomas Bergen, Freire’s factory manager in Moi Rana, said major recruitment is planned for 2023.

– We still don’t go directly to candidates, but we market and have conversations with important target groups in the right channels.

In the long term, the factory will have about 600 man-years. In addition, the pilot factory and test center will have employees and workers.

Many nationalities

Freire plans to specialize both at home and abroad.

Mo already has battery experts from Japan, China, Great Britain and Germany. But apart from NTNU and other universities, also from the technical sector in Norway.

– We need good engineers, Bergen says, and have already hired many talented people in the pilot factory, project department and operations department.