Høyre’s energy policy spokesperson Nikolai Astrup is not gracious in his description of the Center Party leader and the finance minister’s suggestion that Norway should halve the number of power cables between Norway and Denmark.
– The move is populist, frivolous and easy by the country’s finance minister, but it is unfortunately not surprising from that angle, says Astrup to NTB.
The discussion about two of the four Norwegian cables that run between Norway and Denmark arose before Christmas when Trygve Slagsvold Vedum stated to Klassekampen that the Center Party saw no reason to renew the power connection when the cables reach their technical lifespan in a year’s time. The background was the debate that the cables led to too high an export of cheap, green hydropower and that Norway imports high electricity prices from the continent.
The Conservative Party has not reached a conclusion in the case of the cables, but is awaiting an impact assessment of what would be best for Norway – to renew with modern cables or to cut the connection.
Not too much to ask
Astrup refers to calculations from NVE that Norwegian electricity consumption is expected to rise sharply towards 2030. This will eat up all of today’s power surplus, and Norway will be left with a deficit if nothing is done to ensure security of supply.
– In this situation, it shouldn’t be too much to ask that the country’s finance minister investigates how cutting the two cables will affect Norway, before he concludes that they should be cut, says Astrup.
The politician compares Norway with the other Nordic countries. Both Sweden and Denmark have large-scale plans for the development of both nuclear power and offshore wind in the short and medium term. Norway, for its part, has on the block that existing hydropower should be upgraded, but this will only give a minor increase in electricity production and not enough to cover the expected increase.
– Must have power surplus
– A still strong connection to Denmark will be able to secure us cheap electricity from Danish and European wind power plants when the wind is blowing at full blast, which means that we can retain water in the reservoirs. This interaction probably becomes more important at a time when the balance of power is moving towards zero, says Astrup.
While Norway exported far more electricity throughout most of 2023 than we imported, this leveled off after the freezing temperatures hit in November and December, Statnett’s current overview of the electricity balance with other countries shows. In the relationship between Norway and Denmark, the picture for the year was that through the existing cables, Norway exported twice as much electricity to Denmark, almost 6 TWh, as we imported.
At the very end of the year, the prices of the foreign electricity fell below the Norwegian, and then the competition kicked in. During Christmas, three times more electricity was imported than what Norway sent out of the country.
This picture has normalized in January. Despite the fact that the levels in the water reservoirs were low at the end of the second week in January, Norway now exports more electricity than is imported.
– There is nothing wrong with the fact that we sometimes export power from Norway. In order for us to have lower prices than our neighboring countries over time, we must have a power surplus. It’s that simple. The alternative is that the power is wasted. In 2020, 15 TWh flowed directly into the sea, says Astrup, who refers to the year when Norway had full water reservoirs.
Shared perceptions
– We know that the Danes want to quadruple power production and have plans to build energy islands and other forms of power. During the cold period in January, it was precisely imports from Denmark, among others, that meant that electricity prices in South-West Norway were lower than elsewhere in the country, says Astrup.
When Vedum came out with his position, government colleague and energy minister Terje Aasland (Ap) quickly stepped in and said that Vedum should not conclude on the matter.
The Minister of Finance nevertheless received support from other parts of the Labor Party. Rødt also fully supported Vedum and the issue of cutting the electricity connection to protect Norwegian electricity customers from European price contagion.
In October, Statnett announced that, in collaboration with Energinett, they have started a joint project to look at technical solutions if the cables are to be modernised. There it is emphasized that the Skagerak connection, as it is called, is very important for the balance in the Nordic power system.
– The work is in a very early phase, and it will take time before a choice of solution can be decided, writes Statnett in the letter to NVE.
