Monday morning at 08.30 the Minister of Oil and Energy will meet the other party groups at the Storting. Later in the morning, Prime Minister Støre will discuss the power support together with NHO and LO. The summer has not only led to high temperatures, there have also been record high electricity prices. Today, the electricity price for Austlandet and Westlandet will be the highest so far this year. On average, the price is NOK 2.73 per kilowatt hour, according to the power exchange Nord Pool. In the south-west, the market price for electricity is NOK 3.43 per kilowatt hour. That is 225 times more than in Northern Norway. There has been a lot of pressure on the government to increase the electricity subsidy. Last week there was a majority in the Storting to break the meeting-free period to discuss the electricity crisis. Originally, the government was to increase the electricity subsidy from 1 October. Yesterday the Prime Minister promised that 90 per cent electricity support for households for prices above 70 øre per kilowatt hour will apply from 1 September. The government also announced that the power companies will be ordered not to drain the water reservoirs so that there will be a danger to the security of supply. But the government has not yet worked out a support scheme for business. Before the relay meeting on Monday, the Prime Minister will meet in the Political Quarter to answer questions about the electricity crisis.
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