More than 6,000 people live in Meløy municipality in Nordland. The administration center is called Ørnes. One of the municipalities’ most important workplaces is located there; Meløy Energy. The power company is wholly owned by the municipality and has for a number of years provided very important income to a poor municipality. Now the company is on the verge of bankruptcy. The reason? 800 “luxury customers” in southern Norway with cheap fixed price agreements. If Meløy Energi goes bankrupt, according to the politicians, it could affect young and old alike in the small coastal municipality. But the customers in the south do not seem to have any plans to let go of the agreements. – They kick their feet under an entire village. This will affect both old and young people in Meløy. It’s terrible, and for some families it’s simply a crisis, says Meløyfjerding Åge Dybvik. Neighborhoods have saved NOK 200,000 Meløy Energi forgot to remove a very favorable fixed price agreement of 126 øre/kWh this spring. After the Facebook group “Prismatch Strøm” was tipped off about this, Meløy Energi gained 800 customers overnight. A serious mistake that has cost the company millions upon millions. Meløy Energi’s customers in southern Norway have little to lose by using a lot of electricity. With a favorable fixed price agreement, most people have made money from using electricity throughout the summer. Illustration: Egil Ursin / news In contrast to Meløy Energi, the customers in southern Norway are delighted with the agreement. But how much can the southerners earn from this? In a neighborhood in Eastern Norway, there are four households who say they have saved NOK 200,000 since New Year on the very favorable fixed-price contracts from Meløy Energi. news has spoken to one of the customers. He claims that the agreement is so favorable that he was paid NOK 3,400 in September. SVARTISEN SPOT PRICE: Meløy Energi is trying to get customers over to their spot price agreement; Svartisen Spot price. None of the customers news has been in contact with seem to be interested in it. Photo: Synnøve Sundby Fallmyr / news Yesterday he received a letter from the company with an offer of NOK 25,000 to break the agreement and switch to the spot price. He has no intention of doing that. – Why on earth should I take that deal? There is almost no risk for me to continue with that agreement, says the customer. Crisis atmosphere news still has the benefit of seeing documentation that someone has agreed to cancel the favorable agreements. Further north in the country, there are crisis situations. In Meløy, the power failure is the big talking point. Will a bankruptcy affect ordinary people in the street? Will help Meløy EnergiÅge Dybvik says that he has lived in Meløy municipality almost all his life. That customers in southern Norway have little sympathy for the electricity company in his home municipality makes the Meløy suspension sad. – The amounts they earn and save leave me speechless. I hardly know what to say. It is tragic. He himself lives 200 meters from Meløy Energi. – I myself have received calls from other electricity companies who have argued that I can make money by switching to them. Then I declined. We need the business community in Northern Norway. – Then I’d rather pay a little more and help Meløy Energi. Hope it works out Meløy Energi has said that they will hardly survive the winter if they still have 800 fixed price customers in southern Norway. Gudrun Knutsen is positive that things can still work out. – They have not gone bankrupt yet, and they are trying to rectify the situation. It can also go well, I realized, she says to news. She adds: – I hope it goes well. We have to be optimists. Need the jobs in the district Nora Tjore lives in the neighboring municipality of Gildeskål. Despite the fact that her municipality is unlikely to be affected, she argues that the districts in northern Norway should not lose important jobs. – I think it is broken that they struggle like that. It is a local enterprise and we need them. She adds: – There are probably many who are in danger of losing their jobs. It is very sad because the districts need all the jobs they can get. Local group leader in the Liberal Party, Cecilie Hegge, emphasizes that Meløy Energy has been important to the municipality for many years: 30 important jobs Dividends to the municipality almost every year Main sponsor for several local sports teams A bankruptcy, according to Hegge, will ultimately affect the residents. Meløy municipality is at risk of the Robek list. A bankruptcy in Meløy Energi will make the situation more difficult. Photo: Malin Nygård Solberg / news – It will affect all the residents of Meløy if the company goes bankrupt. Meløy already has a tight economy, and even if the dividend is not very large, it has an impact on how you budget. She adds: – It is not a good idea that Meløy municipality will potentially lose an important contributor. It’s sad, very sad to think about. Claims he earns NOK 150,000 from the agreement Back in Eastern Norway, the electricity customer is on a three-year agreement that he signed in December last year. He has calculated that he will save around NOK 150,000 in the 27 months he has left of the agreement compared to having a spot price agreement. He actually couldn’t believe his eyes when he got the offer of 126 øre per kilowatt hour. – I thought it was too good to be true. So I called the company and talked to them. And it turned out to be true. Should the customers in southern Norway agree to switch away from the fixed price agreement? Yes No Don’t know Show result He thinks it would be sad if Meløy Energi actually goes bankrupt, but says that he makes good money by standing by the agreement until that happens. – I am a little unsure of how real the risk of bankruptcy is. – But if the company survives for three more months, then during those months I will save NOK 25,000 given that the electricity price is similar to what it was last year. Earn money from using electricity And the customer doesn’t just save money on the favorable electricity contract. Because of the electricity subsidy, he earns thousands of kroner every month. – I have NOK 6,000 in net income after the internet rent has been paid. – So if you start counting on this, then the compensation you are offered will only be trifles. The chairman of Meløy Energi, Rolf Inge Sleipnes, has previously stated to news that they see that their fixed price customers in the south use more electricity compared to previous consumption. The customer in Østlandet emphasizes that he is concerned with reasonable electricity consumption, but that he has been smart and lucky to have got a good deal.
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Meløy Energi may go bankrupt – may affect the Meløy suspensions in the municipality – news Nordland
