CREATE International Project – Electrification in Lillestrøm and Oslo: Driving Zero-Emission Transportation and Public Works Construction

This CREATE blog post is the first of a series documenting a recent faculty initiative to examine the intersection of clean energy and electric transportation in Norway. The CREATE International Project brought together energy faculty from across the United States to research energy and electric transportation technology, infrastructure, and implementation.   

The CREATE delegation had the opportunity to meet with representatives from the cities of Lillestrøm and Oslo, including the Mayor of Lillestrøm, Mr. Kjartan Berland, Ms Ine Høyer, Lillestrøm Municipality Procurement Advisor, and Mr. Philip Mortensen, Senior Adviser for the City of Oslo Agency for Climate.

Much like in the U.S., Norwegian cities have become key sources of innovation for electric transportation and sustainable development.  In particular the capital city, Oslo along with its neighboring suburb of Lillestrøm, have become early adopters of new technology, serving as models of change for the nation.

Oslo municipal leaders, elected from the Green and Social Democratic labor parties have been encouraged to move more aggressively than the rest of the nation to embrace beneficial electrification, clean transportation, and sustainable contracting to improve living conditions and the urban environment. The beginning of Oslo’s journey on this path can be traced to the introduction of the toll ring road around the Oslo city center back in 1990.  The toll ring helped to limit urban traffic and reduce air pollution.  At the same time, the tolls provided a revenue source for the city’s maintenance of roads, construction of public transportation, and sustainability initiatives to improve urban air quality.  As a result, the city has been able to grow its population by 30%, while holding the car miles driven constant, and reducing its airborne emissions by more than 10%.  This was an enlightening case study, that serves as a good example for places like New York that are making their first attempt at instituting a traffic congestion fee. 

Early investments from Oslo toll revenues provided for construction of new electric street car routes, and establishment of safe bike lanes and routes for cyclists.  Sidewalks, paths, and bridges were constructed to enable pedestrians to walk to more destinations in the central city.  More recently, the city observed that there was a lack of charging infrastructure to support electric vehicles.  Oslo began building a municipal charging network in 2008, and by 2010 had installed 500 stations in the city center.  This local initiative facilitated the adoption of electric cars by Oslo residents.  Then as the market became established, what was a local phenomenon blossomed into a nationwide trend.  After the initial years of public investment, private enterprise took over.  Today Norway is home to over 25,000 charging stations, providing more charging points per electric vehicle than any other country in the world.

Lillestrøm Municipality, a newly formed entity in Norway since 2020, is pioneering a Green Procurement Strategy that mandates zero-emissions construction for public works projects, including schools, hospitals, and roads. This bold policy, aligned with the EU’s climate strategies and the UN roadmap for climate change, leverages public funds to drive innovation in the construction sector, which accounts for 40% of CO₂ emissions. By requiring all publicly funded contracts to have a plan to minimize on site emission of airborne pollutants and greenhouse gases, Lillestrøm is setting a global example for sustainable development.

The municipality’s competitive bidding process for projects over $5M USD evaluates proposals based on cost, technical quality, and sustainability, with the latter comprising one-third of the scoring criteria. Contractors are incentivized to minimize airborne pollutants, achieving up to 90% reductions in fossil fuel use through electric vehicle (EV) heavy machinery and biofuels. Remarkably, electrification has reduced overall energy consumption by 12%, challenging conventional models that predict rising energy use. Norway’s innovative mobile charging solutions for off-grid construction sites further enable this transition, a practice unique to the country.

The Norwegian municipal examples highlight the power of local government, and demonstrate the public sector’s role as a driver of innovation. By embedding criteria for beneficial electrification and emissions reductions into public requests for bids, Lillestrøm fosters collaboration between the municipality and industry, using markets and economic competitiveness to support innovative companies and firms. In a similar way, the city of Oslo used public works projects to fill early gaps in electric vehicle infrastructure, creating a nascent market that grew over time to achieve critical mass that was embraced by private sector businesses.  The success of Lillestrøm and Oslo underscores how local governments can advance sustainable development goals, proving that policy-driven markets can achieve remarkable technological, environmental, and societal progress.

Stay tuned for the delegations next stop at the IFE Battery Lab.