”We will be looking at Finnmark as an energy-producing county, and will examine the potential for new power generation facilities. Everything must be seen in light of the technical, financial and environmental circumstances in the area,” says Julie Rønning, project manager for the students. She took part in last year’s summer project, and was invited back this year as project manager.
 
Multi-disciplinary team
Julie has almost finished her Master’s degree in economics and business administration, but Statkraft has gathered together students from a number of different disciplines. “We have students from engineering and business faculties, a political scientist and an agricultural scientist. Multi-disciplinary collaboration is fascinating,” says Julie Rønning.
 
Field trip to Finnmark
The students have just returned to Lilleaker from a hectic week in Finnmark. The week in Norway’s most northerly county was spent getting to know the local culture and landscape. They have been shown round power plants, and they have explored the areas where new power generation facilities could be built. The summer project participants also received a thorough briefing in the three population groups whose interests must be taken into consideration: the ethnic Norwegians, the Sami and the Kvaen (descendents of Finnish-speaking immigrants). 
 
The Kvaen
Kvaen immigrants came from Finland to the coast of northern Norway in the 18th and 19th centuries, and are an important minority group in Finnmark. Statkraft’s Jan Daleng, who led the visit to Finnmark, is himself a Kvaen. He took the students to “Kvæntunet” in Børselv, where he grew up. There they listened to Terje Aronsen give a lecture on the people who for centuries have lived alongside the Sami. “As many as 100,000 people in Norway today may be of Kvaen descent,” says Jan Daleng.
 
Satisfied students
The students all agree that the visit was well worth their while. They are gathered together on the seventh floor of Statkraft’s head office building at Lilleaker, and are working on various aspects of the project. “In order to plan the construction of new power generation facilities in the county, it was vital to visit the area ourselves. We have now seen the places we are working on and have learned more about conditions in Finnmark,” they say, before eagerly returning to their work. The group seems highly motivated, and is enjoying the challenge. 
The project lasts from six to eight weeks, and the objective is to deliver a report in mid-August.