Message 901
Communication from the Commission - TRIS/(2025) 0727
Procedure for the provision of information EC - EFTA
Notification: 2025/9003/NO
Notification – Notification – Notifzierung – Нотификация – Oznámení – Notifikation – Γνωστοποίηση – Notificación – Teavitamine – Ilmoitus – Obavijest – Bejelentés – Notifica – Pranešimas – Paziņojums – Notifika – Kennisgeving – Zawiadomienie – Notificação – Notificare – Oznámenie – Obvestilo – Anmälan – Fógra a thabhairt
Does not open the delays - N'ouvre pas de délai - Kein Fristbeginn - Не се предвижда период на прекъсване - Nezahajuje prodlení - Fristerne indledes ikke - Καμμία έναρξη προθεσμίας - No abre el plazo - Viivituste perioodi ei avata - Määräaika ei ala tästä - Ne otvara razdoblje kašnjenja - Nem nyitja meg a késéseket - Non fa decorrere la mora - Atidėjimai nepradedami - Atlikšanas laikposms nesākas - Ma jiftaħx il-perijodi ta’ dewmien - Geen termijnbegin - Nie otwiera opóźnień - Não inicia o prazo - Nu deschide perioadele de stagnare - Nezačína oneskorenia - Ne uvaja zamud - Inleder ingen frist - Ní osclaíonn sé na moilleanna
MSG: 20250727.EN
1. MSG 901 IND 2025 9003 NO EN 13-03-2025 NO NOTIF
2. Norway
3A. Royal Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries
Departement of Trade Policy
P.O. Box 8090, Dep
NO-0032 Oslo
Norway
3B. Royal Ministry for Climate and Environment
Department of Climate Change
P.O.Box 8013 Dep
N-0030 Oslo
Norway
4. 2025/9003/NO - B00 - CONSTRUCTION
5. Amendments to the regulation on the prohibition of the use of mineral oil for heating buildings.
6. The use of fossil gas for temporary heating and drying of buildings and building parts that are under construction or rehabilitation, including curing of concrete, drying of paint, etc.
7.
8. The ban on the use of mineral oil was adopted in June 2018, and entered into force 1 January 2020. The ban prohibits the use of mineral oil for heating of buildings, with a few exemptions. This is explained in notification 2017/9009/N. From 1 January 2022, the ban expands to also include a prohibition to use mineral oil for temporary heating and drying of buildings under construction, and drying of building components. The regulation has an exemption for use of mineral oil for drying of buildings to prevent damage on the buldings in the event of unforseen events.
This addition in the regulation expands the ban to also include a prohibition to use fossil gas for temporary heating and drying of building compontents in buildings under construction or rehabilitation. This ban is set to enter into force 1 July 2025. For the use of fossil gas for curing cast-in-place concrete and facade heating, the prohibition is set to enter into force 1 July 2027.
The ban does not include heating where the purpose of the heating is to prevent damage after serious and unforeseen events.
The municipality is the competent authority to monitor and ensure compliance with the ban, and may in extraordinary cases grant individual exemptions from the ban. The owner and the user of the heating system is responsible for complying with the provisions in the regulation.
9. The main purpose of the ban is to reduce greenhouse gases from the buildling sector.
Norway is a part of the Paris Agreement and is commited to reduce emissions with at least
50% and towards 55% by 2030 compared to 1990-levels. Norway is now in a process of submitting our new nationally determined contribution to the Paris Agreement for 2035.
In EEA Joint Committee Decision No 269/2019 the EU, Iceland and Norway formally agreed to cooperate on fulfilling our respective greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. By this decision, Iceland and Norway take part in all three pillars of the EU climate framework. This include participation in the Effort Sharing Regulation, which regulates emissions not covered by the EU ETS. This also includes emissions from the building sector. Norway will have a commitment to reduce emissions in the non-ETS-sectors by 40 per cent in 2030 compared to 2005.
To also include the use of fossil gas for temporary heating and drying of building components in buildings under construction and rehabilitation in the existing ban will be an additional contribution to reduce non-ETS emissions and to fulfil our target under the Effort Sharing Regulation.
Independently of which measure one chooses to implement, the emission reductions must take place in order to acheive the main purpose of the ban. The only way to reduce GHG-emissions from the use of fossil gas for heating and drying of building components in buildings under construction and rehabilition is to reduce the use of fossil gas.
For several years, the Norwegian Government has imposed measures to reduce GHG-emission from the building and construction sector. To that consequence, there are already several different measures in place to reduce the emissions from this sector; CO2-tax and support schemes from Enova and municipalities.
There is also a CO2-tax on fossil gas. Even though this tax is not an emission reduction measure per se, the fossil gas- tax also contributes to reduce emissions. However, these measures alone have not given the sufficient cuts in GHG-emissions.
With the use of an alternative measure, such as an increased carbon tax, the reductions would largely rely on how high the carbon tax is and the cost related to changing the heating system. The climate effect of an alternative measure, such as an increased carbon tax, would hence be more uncertain than a ban. A ban is an efficient measure that prohibits the use of fossil gas for temporary heating and drying of building components in buildings under construction and rehabilitation, and ensures that emissions are reduced at the source.
Concerning environmental impacts, the Regulation will reduce GHG-emissions from the building and construction sector, as elaborated above. In addition, the ban would contribute to achieve Norway's climate commitments, cf. elaborations above.
Changing the heating system from fossil gas to a renewable or other fossil-free sources will incur costs for building and construction businesses. SINTEF, one of Europe's largest independent research organisations, have calculated that the costs of rigging and operation at the building site makes out 8% of the total costs of a construction project. The cost of heating buildings is a small amount of these costs. There are several renewable alternatives to heat and dry buildings under construction, such as biofuels, district heating and electricity. The costs of changing to renewable heating will vary on case-by-case basis, and depends on the geographic location of the construction site. The state enterprise Enova offers funding to construction sites that uses renewable technologies and striving towards a zero emissions construction sites.
Even though the ban will incur costs for both private and public sector, the Ministry holds the view that the ban is proportional because it is necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, cf. elaborations above.
10. References of the Basic Texts: The basic texts were forwarded with an earlier notification:
2017/9009/N
11. No
12.
13. No
14. No
15. Yes
16.
TBT aspects: No
SPS aspects: No
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European Commission
Contact point Directive (EU) 2015/1535
email: grow-dir2015-1535-central@ec.europa.eu
