Swedish «loophole» can provide more power to Norway – NRK Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
This winter, Sweden chose to abruptly slow down exports to Norway to ensure better power flow at home.
But now the power can flow in larger numbers across the border again, according to Norwegian Waterways and Energy Directorate (NVE).
The reason is that Sweden has chosen to count on the ability to give off power according to a new method. The change happened on Wednesday last week.
– It gives a better power situation, says director Andreas Myhre for power management in Entelios:
– By changing the physics model, the cable capacity will be better than it has been before. Right now, more power is flowing from Sweden into southern Norway than it would otherwise.
New Swedish calculation
In the past, Sweden has calculated how much goes in and out of areas through each cable.
Since Wednesday last week, Sweden has been raining summen of power in and out of southern Sweden.
– This means that when power enters from Denmark, it can go more out to Norway. Before, it was a beginning per connection. Now it can be a plus on one connection if it is a minus on another, explains section manager Ann Myhrer Østenby in NVE.
I periods, therefore, Norway can get more power from Sweden even according to the previous calculation method. Last week, southern Norway had the best import opportunity from Sweden since March last year, according to NVE.
– The Southeast area is today a deficit area with relatively little access to resources compared to the average. Then it will help to have a greater opportunity to import, says Østenby.
Can give a little cheaper electricity price
In recent weeks, Swedes have had much cheaper electricity than across the border.
Southern Sweden has both nuclear power and wind in the energy mix, and better transmission internally and to the countries around it even southern Norway.
– The more imports we get, the more we will be able to reduce prices in the local area around Oslo. Whether there are such large volumes that it has something to say is difficult to know, says Myhre.
Easterners pay dearly for extremely little water in the reservoirs at the moment. The filling rate was 11.4 percent last week, according to NVE.
Current analyst Tor Reier Lilleholt in Volue Insight points out that “everything helps”, but that weather and water levels will determine prices in the future.
– The volumes will contribute to some energy over time, but no more than we only see small changes in the price on both sides of the border, he says.