– We work every day to reduce electricity prices. It is unacceptable that there are large price differences in the country, said Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland (Ap) when he visited Stavanger last week.
In a joint interview with Stavanger mayor Kari Nessa Nordtun i Stavanger Aftenblad the signal was clear from the government: Work is being done to do something about the crazy price differences in electricity.
The electricity price is now 50 times as high in South-West Norway (NO2), which includes Kristiansand, Stavanger and Haugesund. In August, it was 3.5 times as high as in the rest of the country.
– I understand that it feels unfair, said Aasland.
Rage
Harald Minge of the Stavanger business association can sign it. But the feeling of injustice does not fully cover how the mood is in South-West Norway.
– This just doesn’t work anymore. This is where the most power is produced in all of Norway, and so we end up paying an insane amount more than everyone else. Business is furious, says Minge to Dagbladet.
– Don’t recognize Ap
The government first promised that the Energy Commission would look at solutions to reduce electricity prices. It was set down in the New Year 2022.
But when the commission came out with its report early this year, it contained nothing that could remedy either price differences within Norway or anything that could bring prices down in general.
Instead, a new award committee was set up, which has now been working since this spring and will submit its proposals after the election.
– Setting up committees characterizes this government. They have lingered all the way and now we are waiting for another slow-moving selection. Now they must stop referring to selection and find solutions. That is the government’s responsibility, says Minge.
– Carnage
Kristoffer Sivertsen is in second place for the FRP in Stavanger and is a member of the party’s central board.
He says it is now urgent for the companies in power area NO2.
– We fear a bloodbath of bankruptcies if the trend in electricity prices continues and there is not a good enough solution, says Kristoffersen to Dagbladet, who is calling for concrete measures.
– The government and Aasland turn a blind eye to Stavanger and Rogaland. We cannot have electricity prices that are several times more expensive than the rest of the country. We need concrete measures.
CALLS FOR ACTION: Kristoffer Sivertsen in Stavanger Frp. Photo: Knut S. Vindfallet / Frp Show more
– The foreign cables are to blame
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre will campaign in Stavanger on Monday. Labor mayor Kari Nessa Nordtun is fighting against the odds, not least because of the ongoing electricity crisis in the region.
From 1 January to 13 August, NO2 exported 14.7 TWh of electricity. The two new foreign cables that opened in 2021 start from NO2. The electricity price in the region is thus exposed to what the electricity price is in Great Britain and on the continent, Aasland recently admitted.
In Aftenbladet, Nessa Nordtun came up with a wish for a separate power package for the region, as Northern Norway will get in connection with the electrification of Melkøya.
But Nessa Nordtun got cold water in the years commentator Hilde Øvrebekk in the newspaper who pointed out that the government has now said they will prioritize Finnmark and that a strong development will take many years anyway.
“In any case, we cannot live with the current price differences in Norway for several years. It affects both consumers and the competitiveness of local businesses”, writes Øvrebekk and is in line with the business association and the power opposition in the Storting.
The FRP leader: – That’s why I drank
Norwegian business is built on cheap power. Now Frp leader Sylvi Listhaug fears for the future.
– For almost two years, the Labor Party has sat paralyzed and fronted a power policy that weakens the competitiveness of Norwegian companies. Now is the time to take action before the situation worsens even more, says Listhaug, and continues:
– It is unacceptable to have a 50 times higher electricity price for residents and businesses in Southern and Western Norway. This is clearly distorting competition and can have a particularly hard impact on business along the coast.
Red-Mímir: – Pure madness
FRP has advocated a maximum electricity price of 50 øre per kW/h. Red is chopped sharper by 35 øre.
– A maximum price for electricity must be introduced for people and businesses that is the same for the whole country. We have proposed 35 øre kWh, says Mímir Kristjánsson when asked what the government must do RIGHT NOW.
– Today’s power prices are pure madness. The whole region overflows with energy, yet we have to pay many times what they pay in Oslo. It is power discrimination we cannot live with, says Rødt’s parliamentary politician from Rogaland.
Mímir Kristjánsson also highlights what he believes is one of the great tragedies in the whole thing:
– What makes this so absurd is that we have destroyed an enormous amount of our nature to create renewable energy. Waterfalls have been installed in pipes all over the county, and if you are in Jæren, you can hardly step outside the door without seeing wind turbines.
– The reward for this is that we get electricity prices that are up to fifty times higher than in Oslo. And last time I checked, there were no wind turbines at Holmenkollen!
2023-09-03 07:40:33
#People #furious
