Power Crisis in Northern Norway: Sabotage By The State

How else can it be that warnings about the collapse of the energy supply in Northern Norway have been ignored for years? That nothing has happened?

Therefore, we are now at the place the energy policy warnings cautioned against, where Northern Norway, and especially Eastern Finnmark, for all practical purposes, is deprived of industrial development opportunities for the next decades.

With a transmission network under such strong pressure that it threatens preparedness for us all.

Breaking promises

It is not just serious. It is in breach of the area policy of Northern Norway, and an example of how clear communication from the Arctic is not sufficiently emphasised.

In short, it is about the system operator of the Norwegian power system, Statnett,  fearing a collapse in the network that distributes electricity, and thus throttling the allocation of new power reservations. In Eastern Finnmark, the allocation is cut from 5 to 1 megawatt. Perhaps enough for a hairdryer, for those who use such.

Too little to maintain and develop a viable business community.

We are in no way lacking electricity in the north, but we lack the capacity to distribute it. Instead, the water flows past the turbines and straight to the sea at times.

For the past 10-15 years, I have more or less continuously attended conferences where the energy situation in the Arctic has been the topic. As a spectator, I have heard the warnings about what has now happened.

But I have not been alone in the room. Representatives from both Statnett and NVE (Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate. Ed. note) have also been present. In addition to our politicians who handles energy issues.

I myself have also been concerned with how the available power is distributed. I have protested against crypto factories and industrial pipe dreams where the goal has been to secure cheap power, rather than to produce something we need.

Serious situation

It is not an insignificant part of the debate, but mainly it is now about how the consistent ignoring of the weakness in the grid in the north, in a very power-producing part of the country, not only stops development but also puts the region in a serious situation if something should happen to the existing grid.

It is about the lack of national preparedness north of the county border between Nordland and Trøndelag.

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Statnett is responsible for the power system, while NVE is responsible for licenses and management. Two government agencies under the Norwegian Ministry of Energy. Much suggests that this three-headed system communicates poorly. That the ministry does not provide clear guidelines.

The new aspect of the situation is not the seriousness, but that the warnings have gone from being just that, to becoming part of everyday life in the north. For this concerns not only industry and business. It concerns everyone.

Musical chairs, pointing at one's predecessors, is a favourite party game when politicians meet. Everyone sees that this is not working this time. It is a collective breakdown among all political parties that have been in power in recent decades.

Archaeologist

When it doesn't work, another political exercise is resorted to. Stones must be turned. Every stone must be turned.

In this case, the stones have been turned so many times in recent years that it is tempting to call for an archaeologist if there is to be any hope of finding something new.

If nothing else, to dig into the archives that tell a long history of warnings that became just that, archived.