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ENERGY

Norway accepts European military aid to secure oil sector

Norway's prime minister said Friday the country, which has become Europe's biggest supplier of natural gas, had accepted military contributions from France, Germany and Britain to secure its oil and gas sector.

Published: 30 September 2022 19:01 CEST
Pictured is Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Støre
File Photo: Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store addresses the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York City on September 22, 2022. (Photo by Tomothy A. Clary / AFP)

“We are in discussions with our allies to increase the (military) presence in the Norwegian sector and have accepted German, French and British contributions,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store told a press conference, following the alleged sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea.

His comments came days after four leaks were discovered in the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, which bring Russian gas to Europe.

The leaks were caused by underwater explosions corresponding to hundreds of kilogrammes of explosives and look like a deliberate act, a Danish-Swedish report said Friday.

“I understand that people are worried about the consequences that the situation in the Baltic Sea may have and that something similar may happen to the oil installations,” Store said.

“We have no indication that there are any direct threats to the Norwegian oil sector,” the Norwegian leader added.

Following the Nord Stream explosions and leaks, Norway had already said it would beef up security around its oil installations, amid allegations of sabotage.

“The government has decided to put measures in place to increase security at infrastructure sites, land terminals and platforms on the Norwegian continental shelf,” Norwegian Energy Minister Terje Aasland said in a statement on Tuesday.

Norway has become Europe’s main gas supplier in the wake of the war in Ukraine, taking the place of Russia.

The Scandinavian country has a vast network of pipelines, stretching for almost 9,000 kilometres, linking it to the continent, which experts have said are at risk of sabotage.

On Friday, Støre said that two Norwegian Coast Guard vessels had been diverted to patrol near oil platforms and that the area was also being monitored by a maritime patrol aircraft.

The Norwegian prime minister met several European leaders and the head of NATO on Friday, and is expected to visit the Sleipner oil platform in the North Sea on Saturday.

Norway, as well as Britain, France, and Germany, are all members of the NATO military alliance.

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ENERGY

Why your latest energy bill in Norway was so expensive 

The coldest November in Norway for 13 years triggered a surge in energy consumption, which pushed up prices and led to costly electricity bills for many.

Published: 18 December 2023 11:10 CET
Why your latest energy bill in Norway was so expensive 

The average energy bill for November is expected to exceed 2,000 kroner, according to an energy price index from the energy organisation Fornybar Norge. 

Energy prices in Norway were high across the country, and the average price was high enough in all five energy price regions to trigger government support. The state in Norway covers 90 percent of the energy price that exceeds 70 øre per kilowatt hour. 

The reason for the spike in prices was a colder than typical November, which saw several records broken. Last month was the coldest November for 13 years.

READ ALSO: Could a heat pump be a cheap alternative for keeping your home warm in Norway?

The lower temperatures meant more and more cranked up the heating to keep warm. Energy consumption increased by a third during November compared to the same month a year ago. 

“The reason for the high electricity bills is that winter came early this year. It was bitterly cold for large parts of November, and this has meant that people have used much more electricity to heat their houses. This has led to increased demand for electricity, which in turn has caused electricity prices to rise,” deputy director Bård Standal of Fornybar Norge said. 

Due to the prices triggering support, Fornybar Norge estimated that households in southern Norway received around 640-700 kroner in energy support. Those in central and northern Norway may have received around 300 kroner in support. 

“The electricity subsidy scheme reduces the price consumers pay for electricity and probably also leads to somewhat higher electricity consumption,” Fornybar Norge said. 

Norway is reliant on hydropower to meet the majority of its energy needs. Low precipitation levels also mean that the occupancy rate in hydroelectric reservoirs is lower than the median in recent years. 

“In November, there were several weeks of low temperatures and less precipitation than average. The low temperatures contributed to a large part of the precipitation settling as snow and giving little inflow to the water reservoirs,” the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) said. 

In the winter, energy prices in Norway are likely to fluctuate, according to the NVE. 

“NVE assesses the power situation on an ongoing basis, and at the start of winter the power situation is good. We still expect periods of higher power prices than what we have been used to historically. What the prices will actually be during the winter depends on many factors such as the weather and the gas price,” the NVE said in a report. 

Another factor that affects energy prices in Norway is the export cables that transfer power from Norway to the continent. This also means that when energy prices are high across Europe, they will also be high in Norway. 

Gas prices also affect energy prices in Norway due to the presence of cables. While gas prices are lower than last year, they are still high compared to other years.  

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