A message from the Mayor of Arendal

The Mayor of Arendal, Robert Cornels Nordli, talks about what makes Arendal the perfect location for both Morrow Batteries' Giga-scale project and the Eyde Material Park.

“The EU has called for a higher degree of self-sufficiency in batteries within Europe. Morrow Batteries has selected Agder as a well-suited place to establish its production facilities because Agder is able to provide Morrow with access to green power from hydropower, environmentally friendly transport solutions for raw material access to the factory, and distribution of batteries to Europe.

While Morrow is on route with their battery cell production, Arendal municipality is in co-operation with private developers to create opportunities for businesses that want to take part in a sustainable battery value chain. This has led to the creation of the Eyde Material Park in Arendal, which is set to become the next green industrial park in Norway focusing on sustainable battery production. We welcome businesses that want to make use of the by-products and waste generated by some companies, because one company’s waste might just be another company’s raw material. At Eyde Material Park, we aim to create a circular economy in symbiosis, where companies work together to create solutions for the future through “the Norwegian model” of creating predictability, dialogue and trust in the workplace.

Agder is blessed with many things, one of which is having a surplus of clean hydropower, and another is our already established expertise in process industry and in materials. The region is well connected with the highway running along the coast. Our southern coastline is named The Battery Coast, due to our many businesses and organisations that focus and work within the battery value chain. The University of Agder offers quality research programmes and courses focused on technology, as well as hosting the Mechatronics Innovation Lab and Future Materials.

Arendal has a tradition of encouraging inclusivity and creating an international environment. The municipality facilitates many types of businesses, and with an international school in our town we can easily welcome families working in international businesses. Arendal is a municipality with good infrastructure and a broad commitment to both businesses and its residents. We pride ourselves in having a good work-life balance. In summer the residents of Arendal enjoy boating along our stunning coastline, take leisurely walks through our town, eat at the restaurants surrounding Pollen (the bay in town), make use of the many different outdoor sporting venues and our magnificent national park, Raet. In winter, the ski tracks are in frequent use and the artificially frozen skate rink at Myra is used for both professional and leisure activities. So we welcome you, to be part of the next industrial adventure!”