New figures from NVE show that the filling rate in Norwegian magazines is 78.6 per cent at the end of week 44. This is an increase of 16 percentage points in the last six weeks. Last year, the filling rate was 72.3 per cent at the same time. – The chances of us ending up in a situation with rationing have become lower, says Statnett’s head of communications, Christer Gilje. He announces at the same time that they will “make a new assessment of the power situation towards the end of the season”. This is what it looked like in Vatnedalsvatn, the largest reservoir in the Otravassdraget, in August. But not anymore. Photo: Ørn E. Borgen / NTB “Up to 20 percent chance” for rationing In July, NVE introduced an intermediate reporting scheme for the production of adjustable power in southern Norway. Or in simpler terms: the power producers were seen under observation. The background was Statnett’s assessment that the power situation was “tight” and that there was “up to a 20 percent chance” (yellow alert level, see below) that power rationing might become necessary. Photo: Statnett “We are following the situation closely and warn that the supply situation may be strained in certain situations up to and through the winter of 2023”, announced Statnett. At the top of the list of possible measures was reduced use of street lights, cabin electricity and heating in public buildings. – Think about how you can save electricity, said Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland (Ap). – Reducing the use of electricity for heating and replacing it with other energy sources can be a good idea, but each household must find out how they want to save electricity themselves, said Terje Aasland in July. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB – Greater risk of a price crisis than a supply crisis But now there are signs that the specter of rationing has drifted away. This is said by several sources that news has been in contact with: Knut Fjerdingstad, Statkraft: – The level of filling in the magazines has increased significantly. We believe, and have always believed, that the chances of rationing are low. On the other hand, we cannot ignore rationing in other countries, which in turn can limit the possibility of imports into Norway. There is therefore a greater risk of a price crisis than a supply crisis. Aslak Øverås, Energi Noreg: – The degree of filling is now over 80 per cent in all price areas, except Southern Norway (NO2). This bodes well for the winter. But there is still great uncertainty about the energy situation in Europe, so we can’t shrug our shoulders quite yet. Inga Nordberg, NVE: – There is a low risk of rationing next spring. At the same time, the uneasy situation in Europe, and the possibility of dry weather and a cold winter, can mean that the situation in southern Norway can become demanding in the spring. The issue of rationing was also discussed in news Debatten on Tuesday evening. Can expect a mild winter with a lot of rainfall On Wednesday, the daily price of electricity in southern Norway was 42.6 øre/kWh. That makes 9 November the third cheapest weekday so far this year. Because the prices are lower in Norway than in the UK, the net export on the same day was 101 GWh (the current flows where it costs the most, in this case the UK). An overview in Europower shows that the average price in the first nine days of November is 45 per cent lower than at the same time last year. The explanation is the combination of high temperatures, a lot of precipitation and good wind conditions. At the top are the forecasts for the winter, which say that we can expect a mild winter with a lot of precipitation. For Norway, the forecasts show a temperature that is 1.5 – 2 degrees above normal throughout the winter.
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The danger of electricity rationing is almost over – news Vestland
