Tension is high after Statnett last week turned up the power supply from Norway to Great Britain through the North Sea Link submarine cable. Because who decides how much Norwegian electricity we will send out of the country. Is it the government or Statnett that pushes the buttons? Norway has a total of 17 exchange cables for electricity abroad, with a total transmission capacity of 8,500 MW. Among these cables, none has been more controversial than the so-called “England cable”, which opened in the autumn of 2021. Not long after, electricity prices rose sharply throughout Europe. The price in southern Norway, which is becoming more closely connected on the continent, followed. Cut off the “England cable” Until March 16 this year, the current flowed in intermittent currents. Statnett then reduced the capacity of the cable connection between Norway and Great Britain from 1400 MW to 1100 MW. But who initiated the “throttling”? On Politisk Kvarter on 17 March, just before the Center Party’s national meeting, Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum said that the government had instructed Statnett about this. In his speech to the national assembly, he also repeated that the throttling was politically controlled: – What was said to be completely impossible six months ago – that you could regulate trade through the English and German cable more – yesterday was done by the government when it tightened the possibility of export to Great Britain, said Vedum and added: – It is possible when you want to and work thoroughly. Then you get things done. But is it the case that the government can dictate how much electricity Norway can send out of the country? Opened the taps again A week after the speech to Vedum, CEO of Statnett Hilde Tonne was clear that it was Statnett that made the decision to throttle the cable. At the annual conference of Renewable Norway, she stated, according to Europower: – We have balanced the “English cable”. It’s not policy, it’s operational, she said. Photo: Julia Naglestad To Teknisk Ukeblad, Statnett’s director of communications, Henrik Glette, is also clear that this was not a political decision. – No, this has not been a political instruction – on the contrary. This was an operational decision taken by us, says Glette to the trade magazine. And on Friday last week, there was a new market announcement from Statnett. But this time, Statnett had decided to increase the export capacity on the North Sea Link to 1,300 MW. Could they do it without talking to the government? – Taken with the pants down This opening and throttling of the cable is all about symmetry. The throttling was about matching capacity with the UK side. But to do this, Statnett had to ask the Oil and Energy Ministry if they interpreted the regulations correctly. The OED replied that symmetry must be worked on. The following day, Statnett reduced capacity, writes TU. – We have an operational strategy that involves balanced, symmetrical exchange with the cables. The ministry has made this possible by clarifying the concession, says Tonne in Statnett to news. Right-wing energy politician Nikolai Astrup says Statnett did this to pressure the British to turn up the flow to Norway. – This is a known method that Statnett has used before, including against Sweden. Where you reduce the capacity in order to get the other party to increase the capacity on their side, says Astrup and adds: – The intention behind it is that there should be equal capacity at both ends of the cable. When the British increased capacity on their side, Statnett did the same. And this is a technical operational question, which Vedum has tried to make political, he believes. – Here Vedum is simply caught with its pants down, says Astrup. – Vedum not to be trusted Several have reacted that Vedum’s strategy does not correspond to Statnett’s. – This shows that SP leader and finance minister Trygve Slagsvold is not a man to be trusted. This is what political editor at Europower, Haakon Barstad, writes in a comment. But it is not only in trade journals that this has caused reactions. But also political. Storting representative Sofie Marhaug for Rødt has asked Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum a question about the matter in the Storting. Here she wonders if it is the government that has instructed Statnett to set up capacity on the North Sea Link again. Marhaug describes Vedum’s plan as a “disorderly game for the gallery”. Photo: SIMON S. BRANDSETH Marhaug does not believe that there was not a political instruction to Statnett in March, she says to news. – Vedum has tried to put a political spin on the matter and give the impression that he controls power politics more than they actually do. Marhaug adds: – With the justification he had for reducing capacity, it is difficult to understand how it should be different now, after only a few weeks. – Technical matters Finance Minister Vedum has not responded to news’s inquiries. But in the written question in the Storting, Vedum replies that the throttling was about technical matters. Minister of Finance Trygve Slagsvold Vedum. Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB – Somewhat reduced transmission capacity has been justified on the British side by technical conditions. A consequence has been that there has been less available transmission capacity in the connection to Norway than from Norway to the UK, writes Vedum. Furthermore, the answer states that it is Statnett’s task to determine the capacity of the cable. The assessment must take account of balance in exchange capacity between the countries. – Letter sent to Statnett State Secretary Lars Vangen (Sp) elaborates in a separate reply to news: – What happened was that the Ministry of Oil and Energy sent a letter to Statnett on 15 March clarifying the content of Statsnett’s licence. The government, including the Minister of Finance, was connected to this decision, he says. The reason, says Vangen, is that the government saw a need to clarify that the concession must be understood and practiced in such a way as to facilitate the greatest possible degree of symmetry in the available exchange capacity on the connection. – This came as a result of capacity being reduced on the English side. The consequence of this was that Statnett reduced the transmission capacity in the cable. The change that came later, when Statnett set up the capacity, was made without consideration by the government, and we were informed about this afterwards. This is what Trygve Slagsvold Vedum Marhaug in Rødt answered To the written questions from Storting representative Sofie Marhaug i Rødt, Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum replied: – The transmission capacity on the North Sea Link (NSL) has not been fully utilized after it came into normal operation towards the end of October 2022 Somewhat reduced transmission capacity has been justified on the British side by technical conditions. One consequence has been that, in periods, there has been less available transmission capacity in the connection into Norway than from Norway to the UK. – Against this background, the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy specified in a letter to Statnett on 15 March 2023 the content of Statnett’s licence. The ministry saw a need to clarify that the concession must be understood and practiced so that it facilitates the greatest possible degree of symmetry in the available exchange capacity on the connection. – It is Statnett’s task to determine the exact capacity of the cable. The assessment must take account of balance in exchange capacity between the countries. – Statnett has informed that National Grid has set up the capacity on its side and that they have therefore increased the capacity accordingly on the Norwegian side. Source: Stortinget.no.
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– Vedum is caught with his pants down – news Nordland
