– We hope that with this decision there can be a solution to a problem that has been going on for a very long time. That’s what Statnett’s head of communications, Martha Hagerup Nilson, says. “Flicker problem” is called it. Electricity customers in Helgeland have struggled with this since the mid-1980s. It becomes visible in the mains, and is shown by the light bulbs flashing. The reason lies in the Mo industrial park, where the company Celsa Armeringsstål recovers scrap metal. It is done in a special electric arc oven, which reaches temperatures of over 1,600 degrees. When new scrap metal is fed into the furnace, there is a difference in the voltage between the metal and the heating elements. It is this voltage difference that causes the lights to blink. But it is not just ordinary households that struggle with the flickering problem. The arc furnaces inside Celsa Armeringsstål melt scrap metal every week equivalent to two Eiffel Towers. Photo: Lars Nehru Sand / news “Locked in” power – costs millions Industry in the power municipality Rana also suffers as a result of the problems. Because since 2001, the power grid inside the industrial area has had to be rewired and operated in a special way. Among other things, the one transformer in Rana cannot be run at more than 25 per cent capacity. This in turn means that up to 150 MW of power cannot be used for other purposes, states Statnett. That is as much as Norway’s largest data center facility – Green Mountain’s TikTok center in Hamar – is expected to use. At Heggvin in Hamar municipality, the company Green Mountain is building what will become Norway’s largest data center. The company has an agreement with Chinese TikTok to store data. Photo: Reidar Gregersen Operating the power grid in an alternative way because of the flicker also has a cost in the millions. Over the past five years, Statnett has spent NOK 20 million on a special type of regulation to deal with the problem. And the network company Linea in Helgeland estimates that the flickering has led to losses equivalent to NOK 14 million, which in turn the electricity customers in the region have to pay for. Known solution There is agreement on what is needed to solve the problem, get rid of the flickering and release the “locked in” current. Specifically, a so-called Statcom must be installed as close as possible to the flicker source. It is inside the Mo industrial park, where many industrial companies are based and operate, that the flickering problems originate. Photo: Synnøve Sundby Fallmyr So why hasn’t the problem been solved a long time ago? This is because there is disagreement about who should pay for the solution. It is estimated that it will cost between NOK 70 and 100 million to pay for the problem to disappear. Complained about the decision – upheld In January 2022, the Energy Regulatory Authority (RME) decided that Celsa Armeringstål had to pay out to solve the problem. The company did not agree with that, appealed the case to the Energy Complaints Board – and was upheld. – The Energy Complaints Board thought we did not justify our decision well enough, says section manager Torfinn Jonassen in RME. The case was thus sent back to the regulatory authority. RME has now notified Celsa that a new decision is on its way. This time too, they will order Celsa to remedy the problem. Torfinn Jonassen is head of section at the Norwegian Energy Regulatory Authority (RME). Photo: Stig Storheil / NVE – Our assessment is that Celsa Armeringsstål is the cause of the flicker intensity requirement being breached, and responsible for taking measures, says Jonassen. RME aims to make a decision on the matter by 20 April. Celsa: – Surprised – We confirm that we have received a letter from RME. We will now review this carefully and provide our comments by RME’s deadline of 20 March. That’s what communications manager at Celsa Armeringstål, Susanne Nævermo-Sand, tells news. The company writes that they are surprised that RME is announcing a new decision, after the Energy Complaints Board revoked the previous decision. Susanne Nævermo-Sand is sustainability and communications manager at Celsa Nordic. Photo: Celsa – We cannot see that RME has taken the measures the tribunal assumed that RME must implement before they reach a possible new decision, the company writes. – Celsa Armeringsstål has always maintained a desire to find a solution in cooperation with the other actors in the case, and we will continue to do so. Statnett: Prevents the utilization of capacity – We believe that the decision brings out the actual conditions and the problems surrounding flickering in the region, says Hagerup Nilson in Statnett. She says that it is important for everyone connected to the network in the region that the problem is resolved. Martha Hagerup Nilson is communications manager at Statnett. Photo: Carolyn Hannigan – The flickering causes poorer delivery quality of electricity to customers in a large area in Nordland. Statnett also writes that they will be positive to part-finance anti-flicker measures if this can contribute to a quick solution.
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