DEVELOPING PUBLIC SERVICES IN GROWING AREA

The City of Mo i Rana with 26 000 inhabitants, is currently having a very positive challenge: We have a received a serious inquiry from a company wanting to establish 2500 new jobs in our municipality. The company Freyr As want to establish a giga battery factory producing battery cells for the European car industry.

Main obstacles: How to dimension public services such as public infrastructure, schools, housing areas, areas for new industry, city planning in light of an extraordinary industry establishment

Existing solutions: Our main focus have been to be a professional host city/municipality – meaning connecting Freyr As to other development actors in our region, including energy companies, other industry, R&D actors and regional authorities.

Nordland County Council have funded a feasibility study and we are now in dialogue about funding a main project helping our city to be a good host city.

Freyr As have received initial funding from Innovation Norway.

What would happen if the problem is solved?

Consequences might be capacity challenges for the municipality, both as local authorities and as a local development actor.

After the problem is solved, our city will be better organized for even further development. New industry establishment, will probably have very positive ripple effects.

What is the city looking for?

We are looking for other cities who have experience, or who are interested to discuss how to establish excellent host services and how to generate ripple-effects and spin-offs.

Freyr As, the battery company will produce battery cells for the European car industry, maritime industry and for other actors interested how to store energy.

In this context we are interested to learn from other cities how they work with EU projects.

You could also explain what kind of output you would like to get from hosting a challenge table; what are your goals for hosting a challenge table?

Partners from public sector, private sector and R&D for developing new projects and innovative solutions supporting our industry.

Questions

• Do you have any similiar experience, in terms of industry or business establishment?
• If yes, what kind of strategic steps did you take?
• How did your organisation support such a giga establishment?
• What is your advice how to engage neigbouring municipalities, and communities?
• What is your advice on how to generate ripple-effects?
• Such a establishment will probably cause challenges (competition for labour) for the other industry located in our community, how do we secure their interests?