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ENERGY

Norway and Germany seek Nato-led cooperation for key undersea structures

Germany and Norway want to start a NATO-led alliance to protect critical underwater infrastructure, their leaders said on Wednesday, weeks after explosions hit two key gas pipelines in the fallout from the war in Ukraine.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store (L) and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speak during a debate during the 21st Congress on European Security and Defence in Berlin, on November 30th, 2022. Photo by John Macdougall / AFP
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store (L) and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speak during a debate during the 21st Congress on European Security and Defence in Berlin, on November 30th, 2022. Photo by John Macdougall / AFP

 “We are in the process of asking the NATO Secretary General to set up a coordination office for the protection of underwater infrastructure,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told a press conference in Berlin.

“We take the protection of our critical infrastructure very seriously and nobody should believe that attacks will remain without consequences,” he said.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said the alliance would be “an informal initiative to exchange between civilian and also military actors” with NATO providing “a centre, a coordination point”.

Underwater cables and pipelines were “arteries of the modern economy” and it was necessary to create “a coordinated joint effort to ensure security for this infrastructure”, he said.

Scholz said he and Store would propose the plan to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who is due in Berlin for a security conference. The Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines off the Danish island of Bornholm were targeted by two huge explosions at the end of September.

The pipelines, which connect Russia to Germany, had been at the centre of geopolitical tensions as Moscow cut gas supplies to Europe in suspected
retaliation to Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine.

Although they were not in operation when the leaks occurred, they both still contained gas which spewed up through the water and into the atmosphere.

Russia and Western countries, particularly the United States, have traded bitter barbs over who is responsible for the blasts.

Several European countries have since taken steps to increase security around critical infrastructure. 

The G7 interior ministers warned earlier this month at a meeting in Germany that the Nord Stream explosions had highlighted “the need to better protect our critical infrastructure”.

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.

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ENERGY

Monthly energy prices in Norway at lowest level for 21 months

Eastern Norway saw its lowest monthly energy price for 21 months in May, the latest figures show.

Monthly energy prices in Norway at lowest level for 21 months

The NO1 energy region covers eastern Norway and saw a monthly energy price of 78.61 øre per kilowatt hour in May. Meanwhile, the NO5 region, which covers the west, saw prices of 78.99 øre per kWh.

In the southernmost regions of Norway (NO2), energy was 80.88 øre per kWh. The price for the east is the lowest recorded for the area since August 2021. Then the energy price was 74.8 kroner, which at the time was the highest monthly price ever recorded in Norway.

The three aforementioned regions saw monthly prices hover above the threshold for government subsidies. Energy news publication Europower reports that the weak krone to euro exchange kept energy prices above the threshold in NO1 and NO5 areas.

Prices in central and northern parts of Norway (NO3 and NO4) were 31.82 and 21.94 øre per kWh. There, prices are typically lower than in the rest of the country as there is a power surplus, meaning more energy is produced than can be used.

A contributor to the lower average power costs is energy prices entering into the negatives. This has happened three times in May.

READ ALSO: What it means when Norwegian energy prices enter negative

When electricity prices in Norway fall below zero in a certain part of the country, the residents of the area in question “get paid” for using electricity, as energy producers have to pay to sell electricity when the prices enter negative.

Negative prices don’t mean free energy, however, as grid rent, taxes, and other charges need to be paid.

A winter with plenty of snowfall, which has melted and is making its way to Norway’s hydroelectric reservoirs, heavy rainfall, reduced energy exports and lower consumption than typical have contributed to lower prices.

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