– FRP itself should thank – E24

Statnett warned on Wednesday that Norway will face power shortages from 2027 as electricity consumption is expected to grow much faster than production.

Industry is worried about power shortage and rising prices. This will threaten the electrification of industry and the oil industry. This could threaten new industries such as battery factories and hydrogen production. Then it will become harder to meet Norway’s ambitious climate target of a 55 percent emissions reduction by 2030.

Politicians in Ap and Frp disagree about who is responsible for the fact that Norway’s energy balance could go into the red in a few years.

– This confirms once again that the government is far behind on energy policy, says energy policy spokesman Marius Aron Nilsson (Frp).

– He says that if the right political measures are not taken to strengthen power generation, the electricity price crisis we are witnessing now may turn into a power crisis in a few years.

FRP has proposed several projects to develop and improve hydropower, and wants to abandon plans to send electricity from land to oil and gas fields.

– These are effective measures that will contribute to turning a potential power deficit into a sustainable power surplus in 2027, says Nilsson.

– Thanks to Frp

Marianne Sivertsson Naas (AP), head of Storting’s energy group, rejects the criticism.

– Far from it, I can share what FRP says we are lagging behind. Næss says this is thanks to the FRP, which sat alongside the Minister of Oil and Energy during most of the Solberg government.

The Frp sat with Tord Lien as energy ministers from 2013 to 2016, Terje Søviknes from 2016 to 2018, Kjell Børge Freiberg from 2018 to 2019 and Sylvi Listhaug from 2019 to 2020.

Næss points out that it will take a long time to realize new renewable energy developments.

– It should have started five, eight, ten years ago. Then we would have a better starting point than we have today. This applies to both electricity and grid. We know it can be taken online Up to 14 years. So, he says, we have FRP itself to thank for being where we are.

Generates little power output

Statnett expects electricity consumption in Norway to increase by 24 terawatt hours (TWh) until 2027, but expects only 6 TWh of new generation over the same period.

The company hopes that this will raise Norway’s energy balance so that consumption exceeds production in a normal year.

There are several reasons why no new power generation will be built before 2030:

• In recent years, the energy debate has largely been about gaining better control over the development of onshore wind power. The new rules are due to be introduced from 2023 or 2024, and the longer-term developments will only come into force in 2030.
• The government has big plans for offshore wind, but it is unlikely to come before 2030
• Many power producers put off hydropower upgrades after the government proposed increased tariffs

– Every reason to worry

Many Frp and Ap agree that more power is needed.

– There is every reason to be concerned about what projections show us heading towards a deficit. Here it’s about increasing momentum, but also getting people and municipalities on board to facilitate new renewable power generation, says Næss.

He points out that the dilemma is that many people want affordable electricity but are against encroachment on nature, especially when it comes to offshore wind power.

– The resistance is very high, so getting municipalities involved in preparing areas for wind power on land is a very cost-effective and fast way to increase power generation, demand, says Næss, and we have seen it.

– I certainly agree that we need to improve our hydropower plants. “There we can get a good deal more power generation, but nowhere near as much as we need going forward,” he says.

– Closes eyes

– FRP wants to abandon electrification, what do you think about it?

– In order to solve one crisis, it is very interesting to close your eyes to another crisis. So unfortunately we hear that the FRP cannot handle multiple crises at once, Næss says.

– We need to address the climate crisis alongside the energy crisis we face. Electricity is one part of the world and society we face. This is probably the biggest twist we’ve ever faced. It’s demanding, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. We must deal with the climate crisis, he says.

Norway is lagging behind its own target of cutting emissions by 55 percent by 2030, which the government says will require large-scale electrification in oil, gas, industry and transport. The government has repeatedly said that more electricity and networks need to be built to deal with this.

– Are you behind?

– It’s challenging. Many decisions should have been made years ago. So I’m very happy that we have a government led by Ap-Sp that has clear ambitions on how to increase power generation and profitability, and build the grid at a faster pace than we’re doing today, says Næss.

– A big challenge

Lars Ove Skorpen, director of renewables at Pareto Securities, works closely with the power sector and knows their financial situation well. He believes it will be a challenge if Norway moves towards a power deficit.

– It’s a big challenge, says Skorpan, and the prices will be higher than they would be otherwise.

He pointed out that at present there are few wind farms for processing. Also, the government has proposed to levy ground rent tax on wind power.

– The proposed tax of 40 percent will not incentivize renewables at all. So it’s clearly a challenge, he says.

– We have The climate tightened the target Ours is, but we’re going to have problems delivering it because it requires electrification. It needs electricity, which we don’t have. So, we have to import more and that will push up the prices. We need to do something, faster than is currently possible, says Skorpen.