The EU warns Norway against cuts in power exports
The power crisis has caused the government to announce a “management mechanism” to limit the possibility of power exports if the degree of filling in the long-term storages becomes too low. It creates strong reactions from the EU, which believes it is in breach of the rules in the EEA agreement, reports Television 2.
– This means that even if EU law opens up ways to protect the capacity in multi-year storages, for example through the introduction of a specific requirement for minimum filling, no such decision can involve closing borders to limit power exchange in the internal market for electricity , says EU Commission spokesperson Tim McPhie.
However, this does not scare Oil and Energy Minister Terje Lien Aasland (Ap), who stands by the government’s plan.
– Like other countries, Norway has a responsibility to secure our power supply in uncertain times. We must have security so that we can ensure our own security of supply in the face of abnormal and unforeseen events, says Aasland to the channel.
– We will therefore develop a separate management mechanism which means that when the water level falls below normal for the season and down towards a low level, exports will be limited, he adds.
(© NTB)