The budget gap for Oslo’s new water supply has increased by NOK 2.8 billion

The 2.8 billion is within the financial framework set aside for the construction of a new water supply to Oslo, writes the Norwegian Water and Wastewater Agency in a press release.

For an average home, this will mean NOK 380 in increased water fees per year from 2028.

– Hole in the hat

That causes SV to react. Conservative Party leader Erna Solberg made several more election campaign promises VG earlier this summer. One of them is that the Conservative Party proposes state aid to the municipalities to limit the increase in municipal taxes, for example through increased depreciation time on water and sewage systems.

– This shows how far-fetched it was with the Conservative Party’s populist promise from the election campaign to freeze the level of municipal taxes. I think the Right and Erna have made fun of Oslo’s residents, says Oslo SV group leader Sunniva Holmås Eidsvoll.

She believes this project proves that it is not possible to make such a promise.

– Some investments are absolutely necessary for the city’s residents to make, a new reserve water solution is one of them. It is a gigantic project with great risk. An experienced politician like Erna Solberg knows that, this case illustrates what we already knew, the Høyre’s election campaign promise is not worth the paper it is written on.

– Complex and expensive project

Oslo City Council has adopted a management framework for the project of approximately NOK 26.5 billion, which the Water and Sewerage Agency is authorized to use.

The city council has also adopted an upper budget, a so-called cost framework of NOK 30.2 billion. The difference between these is the financial reserve in the project, and it is the city council responsible for water and sewage that is authorized to use the reserve.

– Oslo needs a new water supply. This is a large, complex and expensive project, and we are doing what we can to keep costs down, says Anna Maria Aursund, Director of the Water and Wastewater Agency.

She says that the water treatment plant is the most complex part of the project, and that the cost calculations for this sub-project have not been good enough.