Ola Borten Moe gets his own cheeky tune – while Austrheim defies report and pushes ahead with nuclear power

There's something uniquely Norwegian about writing a cheeky little tune about a Member of Parliament. Not a nasty song, more a quirky piece of humour sung at rural gatherings or over a beer at the local pub. Now Ola Borten Moe has his very own – just as the nuclear power debate flares up in full force on the west coast.

Because while rumours of A cheeky tune about Ola Borten Moe spread through political corridors, out on the wild coast, Austrheim municipality is refusing to follow the script. A fresh report – which few have read with any joy – concludes the obvious: it's going to be difficult, expensive and time-consuming. So what did Austrheim do? They stuck their noses in the air and replied: we're carrying on anyway.

When Borten Moe gave nuclear the cold shoulder

Let's take a quick look back. Ola Borten Moe, the former oil and energy minister from the Centre Party, had a period where he practically had to grip the edge of the table to keep from laughing at nuclear enthusiasts. In several interviews, his tone was icy: too expensive, too slow, too complicated. He preferred to invest in renewables and Norwegian hydropower – a safe, old‑fashioned line that landed well with many.

But then something happened. The energy crisis, power prices that got people fired up at the Storting podium, and the realisation that the sun doesn't always shine and the wind doesn't always blow. Suddenly nuclear wasn't so silly after all. Still, many are left with the feeling that the man who could have got the ball rolling ten years ago instead chose to look the other way.

"This is a real dose of cold water" – but Austrheim isn't listening

Commentators in one of the country's biggest newspapers have described the situation as exactly that: a real dose of cold water. The report that came out last week didn't exactly trash the plans, but it gave them a proper cold shower. Runaway cost estimates, waste management challenges, and a time horizon that stretches far beyond the next election cycle.

Yet when a local broadcaster visited Austrheim, the answers were surprisingly clear. The mayor shrugged and pointed to local enthusiasm. "We're going to keep moving forward with nuclear plans," was the message. Local businesses are cheering. This is no longer about what a report says – it's about building something new, no matter what they think in Oslo.

• Local businesses see dozens of full‑time jobs in research and services.
• Property tax could stabilise over time – which has homeowners breathing a sigh of relief.
• And then there's that cheeky tune about Ola Borten Moe, which by word of mouth is said to be about precisely this contradiction: The man who first said no, then maybe yes – while the village had already started digging.

"Should have started the job long ago"

In the business pages of the media, the tone is different. Most writers there say that nuclear power should have started the job long ago. The point is that every day we wait makes the next decade even more expensive. And when even Germany is regretting its nuclear phase‑out, and France is doubling down, Norway's hesitation looks petty.

Ola Borten Moe has since tried to moderate his position. He has said he was never "principally against" nuclear, just practically doubtful. But the cheeky tune now being sung in small groups on the west coast pokes fun at exactly that: "Ola said no, Ola said yes, Ola said maybe – while Austrheim built anyway."

And that's pretty much where we are today. Reports come and go. Politicians change their minds and call it "fresh assessments". While out in the municipalities, where people actually need power and jobs, they're taking matters into their own hands. Austrheim has already started talking to technology suppliers. The plans are no longer on the drawing board – they're becoming reality.

Maybe the cheeky tune about Ola Borten Moe will end up as just a footnote in history. But right now, with nuclear power back on the agenda, it's the small local heroes leading the way. And that's worth a song – or at the very least, a good long feature story.