– Must get a strong majority – E24

Hoyer's Nikolai Astrup says a corporate ban is still a long way off. But we don't need to mine cryptocurrencies in Norway, he thinks.

-We must get a strong majority. If not unanimously, says Lars Haltbrecken.

Together with his colleague Nikolai Astrup (right) on the Energy and Environment Committee, he meets with E24 to present a proposal meticulously put forward by:

The two believe that the government should investigate the consequences of the ban on cryptocurrency mining. The conclusion must be ready before the state budget in the fall.

From this comes the belief in a solid majority The government has already claimed it is on its way.

The government's proposal is very bad

Energy Minister Terje Aasland (AFP) and Digitalization Minister Karianne Tong (AFP) came out in April and said that New AECOM Codewhich regulates services related to digital communications, also carries the possibility of a ban.

– The proposal that the government came up with for the new Electronic Communications Act, where they came out very aggressively and said they should now put an end to cryptocurrencies – it was very bad, Haltbrecken says.

There was nothing to read into the ministers' proposal about an actual ban, just an opportunity to restrict use on national security grounds.

Neither Åsland nor Tong had any basis for stating that the proposals they have now put forward contribute to the regulation or rejection of the cryptocurrency industry, Astrup says.

– In the process of climate change failure

The two believe that energy-intensive cryptocurrency mining is meaningless.

– Astrup says that the simplest and most bureaucratic way to say no to cryptocurrencies is to ban them.

For the Conservative Party, the business ban proposal is still a long way off. That's why they voted against Roodt's same proposal in 2022.

-He sits deep inside. It should too. But when we ask the government to investigate it, it is because we see it as a potential way to say no to cryptocurrencies, which will become an energy drain at a time when Norway is facing an energy deficit.

We need power for other and better purposes. Energy shortages are holding back the entire climate transition process, and no licenses for new energy production have been granted since the government took power.

Meanwhile, Astrup asserts that Norway will need more data centers in the future.

– Data centers are becoming an increasingly integrated part of the Norwegian economy, which all companies will depend on. All industries will need to store more data, process more data, and when they embrace AI, this growth will be exponential.

Moreover, if we want to mine cryptocurrency, this is an illogical calculation, says Astrup.

– I agree, we will need more data storage. But we must also consider how to reduce the need for more data storage. It should not grow in the sky. An important part of this is banning things we don't think are necessary, Haltbrecken says.

– The blind hen finds the grain

Proposals submitted by the SV and the Conservative Party together have become a habit.

In April, SV deputy leader Torgeir Knage Vilkesnes and conservative politician Linda Hofstad Helland agreed on tax policy.

“Then I had a plan with Tina Bro to stop the tax on solar energy, and we also had a joint proposal on a waste incineration tax,” says Haltbrecken.

It is common for both parties that what is important is to obtain approval on important issues, and whether it is with the Conservative Party or others, 85 votes in that chamber are decisive.

Nikolai Astrup leans towards his parliamentary colleague:

– Even a blind hen can find grain, and SV is an example of this, says Astrup, drawing laughter from the politician SV.