Almost all hydropower sold out of Norway
It has been a winter and spring with little rainfall in southern Norway, especially in eastern Norway. But there could still have been far more water in the reservoirs than there is now. The more than 1600 power plants in Norway have used the water to produce demand power in Europe.
– When there is great demand in the countries around us, it is an incentive to produce more power, and then there will be less water in the reservoirs, says section manager for power situation and resources in NVE, Ann Myhrer Østenby.
According to the ongoing overview of the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate, NVE, there are now very low levels in the reservoirs in all parts of southern Norway. This is how it looks in the various regions NVE has divided the country’s water resources into:
Eastern Norway
Has a filling rate of 8.1 percent in the magazines. Last year at the same time, the same figure was 17 percent. If one calculates an average for the minimum degree of filling for the last 20 years, this was 5.5 per cent, ie only just below the level as it is today.
Sørlandet
A very important power region because the power plants produce very many TWh, has a filling rate of 19.5 percent, only three percent above the minimum for recent years. On the same date last year, the filling rate here was 55.4 percent.
Western Norway
In fact, the water reservoirs here are at a lower level than what has been a minimum in recent years. Here, the filling rate is only 11.9 per cent against 24.7 per cent last year.
The levels are so low that it makes the alarm go off at the leader of Rødt, Bjørnar Moxnes.
Fear of rationing
– It can both be even more expensive electricity during the summer, and there can also be a risk of rationing if this continues. This is due to a completely irrational energy policy, where you have no political control over the export of power and no control over prices, Moxnes believes.
Through agreements with Germany and the United Kingdom, we commit ourselves to supply these countries with Norwegian hydropower through cables when the price is higher, regardless of darkness and cold. Moxnes believes that within these agreements there is room to control how much we export.
– Both with regard to the England and Germany cables, there are formulations that public considerations can enable Norway to take control of this. And it is obviously a general consideration to make sure that there is enough water in our reservoirs, and that we can have some control over exports and thus also over prices, says the Red leader.
The Progress Party (Frp) also believes that the government should study the possibilities we have in the power agreements to export when the degree of filling in the magazines is low.
– If we have a purpose to reduce prices, we believe that security against the export of power when the filling level is low, will be able to secure Norwegian consumers and Norwegian business, says Terje Halleland, energy policy spokesperson in Frp.
The government: – No need to worry
Minister of Petroleum and Energy Terje Aasland believes it is a bad idea to impose restrictions on exports, regardless of the degree of filling. Last week, the Storting voted down both Rødt and Frp’s identical proposal on this.
– I think it is an advantage that we have the flexibility in the energy system and the power exchange we have with other countries as the situation is now, says Aasland to TV 2.
But little water in the reservoirs can lead to more power imports.
– It may be that throughout the summer we will import a lot of electricity from Sweden, Denmark and Germany – precisely to support and support the energy security we have here in Norway. It is a system that has worked well for well over 30 years, he says.
As for a further increase in electricity prices as a result of this, the Minister of Petroleum and Energy points to the electricity subsidy that will be in place next year and potential new measures.
– We have initiated a number of studies to see if there are measures we should take based on the experiences from the situation. But right now we are in the spring predicament, which means that there is normally little water in our reservoirs.
Aasland says it is normal with little water in the reservoirs at this time of year, the so-called “spring predicament”. There is little rainfall, and you wait for the snow in the mountains to melt.
– There is nothing to indicate that we should now find ourselves in a situation where energy security is being challenged. But we have asked NVE to follow closely so that we are completely confident that we will avoid rationing, for example, says Aasland.
Good times in the north
In the northern part of Norway, which is not connected to the transmission cables to England and Germany, the picture is completely different. One thing is that the electricity price this week has been down to 12 øre per KWh, but here the degree of filling in the reservoirs is also significantly better.
Northwest Norway and Trøndelag
The region has reservoirs that are 22.3 percent full. This is slightly above the average for recent years, but still well below last year when the filling rate was 33.0 per cent at this time of year.
Nordland, Troms and Finnmark
The northernmost counties come out best. Here, the filling rate is now 41.6 per cent, above the average for the last twenty years, and well above the minimum average of 25.8 per cent.
Here it is also good with snow in the mountains that will melt now. This is not the case in southern Norway. This is shown by measurements made by both Statkraft and NVE.
– In areas in southern Norway, there is somewhat less snow than normal, and in eastern Norway it is below normal with snow, yes, confirms section chief Ann Myhrer Østenby in the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate.
Water will replace wind
Thus, it seems that rain, a lot of rain, is what can fill the reservoirs again, unless it will still be more attractive to use the water to produce electricity for export.
– When it is not windy and there is no sun in Europe, it also affects our situation.
– … and contribute to lower levels in our magazines?
– It is the case that when a lot of power is produced in Norway, the degree of filling will go down, says Ann Myhrer Østenby in NVE.