Vestland County Council is asking the Norwegian government for state adaptation funds, infrastructure investments, and new contracts for the Aker Solutions shipyard at Stord, with thousands of jobs at risk as oil tax package projects finish up. The request has sparked a sharp public disagreement between the Progress Party’s local leadership and its central leadership over whether the regional appeal constitutes state subsidies.
September County Council Vote Launches Regional Appeal
On September 30, Vestland County Council adopted a statement during its fylkesting meeting requesting state intervention to protect maritime competencies at Stord, Nettavisen reported. The shipyard supports nearly 2,000 permanent employees alongside approximately 9,000 hired contractors. The council’s formal position asks the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries to secure new assignments, demands state funding for energy and transport infrastructure on the 2027 state budget, and urges the government to link future offshore wind developments directly to domestic shipyards.
Progress Party Leadership Clashes Over State Funding
The regional resolution has exposed an internal rift within the Progress Party (Frp). Terje Søviknes, second deputy leader of Frp and leader of the party’s group in Vestland, voted in favor of the regional statement. Søviknes defended the text to Nettavisen by explaining that the requested regional adaptation funds aim to prevent mass unemployment rather than subsidize specific private commercial interests, noting that it is not subsidies to specific industries, but creating new growth opportunities
and adding We agree that subsidies related to offshore wind are not the way to go.
. Conversely, Frp climate policy spokesperson Tor Mikkel Wara strongly criticized the resolution in Finansavisen, calling it a request for state subsidies and stating I appreciate skilled, hardworking and innovative Westerners.
and It is therefore sad that they have started asking for government subsidies instead of asking for permits.
. Wara argued that a party committed to abolishing the wealth tax and cutting fuel duties cannot simultaneously support state-backed industrial ventures without increasing taxes or fuel prices elsewhere, asking Are nurses, drivers and plumbers going to subsidize the offshore wind investment in Western Norway, or do they want even higher fuel taxes?
Unresolved Political Questions Remain
While local Frp representatives maintain that the multifaceted statement focuses heavily on regulatory permissions and broad regional stabilization, national spokespeople continue to reject industrial support mechanisms. It remains unclear how the Progress Party will reconcile its local participation in the Vestland council majority with its central parliamentary platform opposing state financial intervention for sectors like offshore wind.