Should Norway build gas power stations?

Sylvi Listhaug, leader of the rightwing populist Progress party, has called for Norway to build gas power stations and said “it would be a scandal” if “energy nation Norway” would need electricity rationing. Other politicians have called for expensive plans to electrify Norway’s offshore oil platforms — which run on gas turbines — to be dropped.

Will a lack of wind affect Norway's electricity prices?

A lack of wind in Germany and the North Sea will push electricity prices in southern Norway to NKr13.16 ($1.18) per kilowatt hour on Thursday afternoon, their highest level since 2009 and almost 20 times their level just last week. “It’s an absolutely shit situation,” said Norway’s energy minister Terje Aasland.

Is Norway a natural gas exporter?

Thanks to its ample reserves of oil and natural gas, Norway is a net energy exporter: in 2020, 87% of its energy production was exported. From a global perspective, Norway is the seventh-largest natural gas producer in the world, supplying 3% of global gas consumption.

Why is Norway an energy-rich country?

As an energy-rich country, Norway is in a unique starting position with respect to the energy transition. An abundance of affordable hydropower has enabled the development of energy-intensive industries and a high level of electrification of homes and businesses with limited GHG emissions.

Does Norway pay for electricity over a lower price?

Norwegian consumers are somewhat insulated from the high prices as the government pays for 90 per cent of electricity over a certain price. But Progress wants the government to pay for all the power above a lower price, arguing that the state makes billions of kroner from the high electricity prices through its hydropower generation.

Is Norway facing its own electricity problems?

But in a sign of just how deeply the energy crisis is shaking Europe, Norway is suddenly facing its own electricity problems that are affecting everything from politics and international relations to business.