Press

Norway was a net importer of electricity in the first quarter of 2019, reversing a trend of net exports seen in the last five years, as hydropower output fell, and high prices attracted wind power supplies from neighbours. Despite having abundant hydropower, typically enough to power its own needs and drive exports, Norway saw its domestic production falling by nearly a fifth to 37.7 terawatt hours (TWh) in the quarter, short of its 39.8 TWh needs. Power prices in Norway are largely dependent on the water levels of the country’s hydropower dams, which were 6.1 percent lower than normal at the start of 2019. Total wind power generation in the Nordic region rose to a record 13.8 TWh for the three months to the end of March as new wind farms were added to the system. Sweden and Denmark generated 11.0 TWh, with Norway and Finland generating the rest. As a result, Sweden had net power exports of 5.4 TWh. Norway imported more power than it exported for 11 of the quarter’s 13 weeks. - Reuters -