Uproar in Norway over power lines

Jun 19, 2007 - UPI

Politicians have joined environmentalists and tourism officials in Norway opposed to erecting power lines through famous scenic fjord and mountain landscapes.

Former Defense Minister Kristin Krohn Devold spoke out against the plans revealed by power supplier Stannett during the weekend to erect 250 miles of towers to meet growing power needs in western Norway, Aftenposten reported Tuesday.

Devold, now head of the Norwegian Mountain Trekking Association, called the towers "new steel monsters, the likes of which haven't been seen before in the Norwegian mountains," and called the panoramas "green gold" from a tourism perspective.

Power company officials responded saying the lines could be buried underground, but it would add substantial cost to the electricity, the report said.

Politicians in Oslo were studying ways to find funding to offset the higher cost of underground transmission lines, the newspaper said.