The story of Meløy Energi started in March. Within hours, Meløy Energi got over 800 customers they didn’t really want. The company sold very favorable fixed price agreements to people in southern Norway. An agreement they themselves have said should have been removed. Through the Facebook group “Prismatch Strøm”, 60,000 Norwegians saw the offer, and many chose to sign. Afterwards, Meløy Energi fought against bankruptcy – and it all came to a head when the company offered customers in the south money to cancel the agreements. They therefore wanted to get rid of 800 customers in southern Norway. Now another change is happening: Meløy Energi is transferring all the local customers to another northern Norwegian company: Polar Kraft. This means that Meløy Energi now only has customers in southern Norway, customers they have been trying to get rid of for a long time. – There have been higher demands on the electricity companies and at the same time it is an industry with high risk, which we have experienced in 2022, says chairman Rolf-Inge Sleipnes to news. Have avoided bankruptcy But the sale of electricity customers is not about bringing in more money, says Sleipnes. – This sale is not linked to us having to have money as a result of the loss. This has been work that has been going on for several years. Rolf-Inge Sleipnes is chairman of the board of Meløy Energi. Photo: Marius Eriksen Guttormsen / news For a long time things looked so bad for the municipally owned company that Sleipnes had to inform the owners that the company was in danger of going bankrupt. This has now been cancelled. – There is no risk of bankruptcy. All employees are informed that the company is not going bankrupt. – How real was the risk of bankruptcy? – It was very real. The losses over the entire period amount to NOK 50–60 million. If the electricity price had reached NOK 4, we had not been assured of an electricity volume and no one had accepted the offer to withdraw from the fixed price agreement, then we would have had to put out a tender. – What would you say to the customers who accepted the offer, and who have now contributed to saving the company? – I am very happy about it. They were important for us to find a solution. I would like to thank those who have accepted. In a press release, director Børge Skaret Selstad describes that the power industry is changing through new requirements and changed legislation. “End-user sales is a market with high risk, little employment effect locally and with marginal profitability, which is further pressured through new, pointed requirements.” they write. Furthermore, they explain that it requires a lot of resources for a small player to offer a full range of products. – With only 4-5,000 customers, we are not going to make money selling electricity to end customers. And we will not be able to compete with the big players, continues Sleipnes. He says that only one out of 32 man-years in the company has been linked to the sale of electricity to customers. – I compare it to an old post office. At one point or another, you will have to organize yourself into larger units, says Sleipnes. Keeping the customers in the south According to the company, they have been working on selling the customers to another company for over two years. However, this has dragged on due to the customers in the south. “Now the company is in a position to complete this process.” they write. Customers in northern and central Norway are now transferred to Polar Kraft, and Meløy Energi describes this as a future-oriented solution. What then happens to the customers in southern Norway? “Meløy Energi will continue to stand by its obligations towards the fixed-price customers in the south.” they write. Sleipnes will not say anything about how much Polar Kraft has paid to buy the customer portfolio. – What I can say is that we have been in talks with several actors, and we are absolutely clear that we have now got a good deal for us. Now we don’t have to get a single penny from our owners.
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Meløy Energi sells 4,000 customers to Polar Kraft – the electricity company sells the heritage silver – news Nordland
