The Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy has warned its countrymen of “persistently high” electricity prices and hasn't ruled out electricity rationing or restrictions on electricity exports, if the power supply worsens.
According to the ministry, the rationing of electricity may be necessary by next spring.
“A very strained situation may arise, just before the snow starts to melt again next winter or next spring,” Minister of Petroleum and Energy Terje Aasland said, as quoted by national broadcaster NRK.
In practice, electricity can be switched off at certain hours of the day, or there will be quotas on how much electricity you can use. The measures will be relevant for companies, but Aasland wouldn't rule out that it may also apply to individuals.
At the same time, Aasland declined to speculate on whether individuals will have to shower or wash less often, instead referring to the Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) under the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, which is now preparing a review of possible crisis measures. Much will depend on the amount of precipitation. As of now, water levels in reservoirs in southern Norway, where many of the largest power plants in the country are located, are down to 45 percent of the norm.
The announcement of possible rationing has made the Norwegian opposition see red.
“It would be a scandal if the energy nation Norway finds itself in a situation where we have to ration power to people,” the leader of the national-conservative Progress Party Sylvi Listhaug said, while pledging to hold the government accountable. “The government has followed the situation closely without taking action, and therefore we have ended up in this situation,” she added.
Listhaug argued that the security of the supply to Norwegians is endangered and concluded that it's time to “put the foot down.”
Conservative MP and member of the Energy and Environment Committee, Bård Ludvig Thorheim, was also critical of the government's follow-up measures to avoid power shortages.
In recent months, large parts of Europe have faced new pressure with their power supply as a result of ballooning energy prices. In Germany, there is a real risk of rationing gas. The country's economic minister stressed that gas is in short supply and asked his countrymen to reduce consumption.
The start of hostilities in Ukraine in February only exacerbated the energy crisis unfolding on the continent. Disruptions in logistical and financial operations due to Western sanctions against Russia have undermined supply chains and led to a spike in energy prices worldwide. Numerous packages of sanctions left the EU struggling to fill storage facilities.