The price for the kilowatt hour is currently NOK 6.4 in the three southernmost price areas in Norway. A shower can cost NOK 70. At the same time, Europe is in one of the worst energy crises ever. But how badly has Norway really been affected? Here are eight maps that provide some answers. Electricity prices: Norwegian electricity half as expensive as the average Electricity prices in Europe (average 24 July to 24 August) in kroner per kWh. The countries are categorized in a color scale where light green is the lowest, blue is the middle point, and purple is the highest. (Source: IEA) From 24 July to 24 August, the average price for one kilowatt hour (kWh) in Europe was NOK 3.41. In Norway, the average for the whole country in the same period was NOK 1.74. In other words, we paid on average only half as much for electricity in Norway as in Europe this summer. But in southern Norway, electricity is much more expensive. Large regional differences in Norway There are very large differences between the different electricity hotspot areas in Norway. In Tromsø, one kWh cost an average of 1.3 øre in the period 24 July to 24 August. In Kristiansand, one kWh cost NOK 3.68. During this period, electricity was 278 times more expensive in the north than in the south. The electricity prices for one kilowatt hour in Norway’s electricity hotspot areas in the period 24 July to 24 August. (Source: NordPool) On Statnett’s website, you can check the electricity price in your electricity spot area at any time. Enormous increase in the last week Electricity prices in Norway and Europe in kroner per kWh in the last week. (22 August to 29 August) Source: IEA. In the last week, the average for prices has increased dramatically, and now southern Norway is almost at the top in electricity prices in Europe. The country with the highest price is still Italy, with a price of NOK 5.96 per kWh. The electricity price as a share of national income The electricity price for 1,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) divided by GNI per inhabitant adjusted for purchasing power parity. (Source: IEA and the World Bank) Electricity still costs comparatively much less for Norwegians. It is because we are very rich. Norway’s gross national income (GNI) per capita, adjusted for purchasing power parity, is just over NOK 700,000. The average in Europe is just over NOK 400,000. Thus, we only use 0.25 percent of GNI per inhabitant per thousand kWh. In Europe in general, the figure is closer to 1 percent. Power consumption: Norway uses three times more power than the average Power consumption in kilowatt hours (kWh) in Europe per inhabitant in 2021. The average in the EU is around 6,000 kWh, and Norway consumes about four times more than that. The countries are categorized in a color scale where yellow is the lowest, orange is the middle point, and red is the highest. (Source: World Bank) The problem for Norway is that, although we have quite a lot cheaper electricity, we consume a lot. In fact, we used 23,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per inhabitant in Norway in 2021. Romania, the country with the lowest electricity consumption in Europe, used only 2,580 kWh that year per inhabitant. Nine times less than Norway. The average for Europe is 7,000 kWh. Norway therefore used more than three times as much electricity per inhabitant. It is true that we have seen a rather considerable decrease in electricity consumption in the southern electricity hotspot areas recently. Gas consumption: An alternative to electricity Gas consumption in kilowatt hours (kWh) in Europe per capita in 2019. The average in the EU is around 5150 kWh, and Norway consumes about half of that. Light purple indicates low consumption, while dark purple indicates high consumption. (Source: IEA) Part of the reason why Norway has a very high electricity consumption is that we use very little gas for heating and cooking. Norway uses twice as little gas per inhabitant as Europe in general. Where a country like the Netherlands consumes 13,700 kWh of gas per inhabitant each year, Norway uses only 2,330 kWh per inhabitant. Low degree of filling in the water reservoirs The degree of filling in the water reservoirs in Norway’s electricity hotspot areas. (Source: NVE) A large part of the electricity crisis in Norway is due to poor filling levels in the water reservoirs. Norway depends on hydropower for almost all electricity production. And so far this year, the occupancy rate is only 69 percent. That is 14 percent lower than the median. Cables to Europe The map shows power cables to and from Norway with capacity in megawatts (MW). 1 MW = 1000 kW. Another part of the reason for high electricity prices in southern Norway is that this part of the Norwegian electricity market is connected to Europe. The electricity producers can at any time sell the electricity to whoever pays the most, while the suppliers are required to ensure that everyone gets electricity. At the same time, drought and the war in Ukraine have meant that both gas, hydropower and nuclear power – which together account for more than half of all electricity production in Europe – have become more expensive. As a result, prices are historically high, which spills over into Norway.
ttn-69
Eight maps to understand how the electricity crisis affects Europe and Norway – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
