(Montel) Norway needs more power generation to meet a strong growth in demand over the next decades, the chair of TSO Statnett said.
“Our analysis shows that we could see a power demand of 220 TWh in Norway by 2050 [up from 133 TWh currently]. We do not have that power at the moment,” Jon Fredrik Baksaas told Statnett’s autumn conference in Oslo on Wednesday.
The Nordic nation generated 154 TWh of electricity in 2020 and is normally a net exporter of electricity due to its abundance of hydropower, but the potential to expand hydropower production is limited since most viable locations have already been developed or are protected by nature conservation.
Onshore wind development has halted due to strong public opposition recently, leaving offshore wind as a beacon of hope from around 2030.
“If we believe that we can just wait for offshore wind to cover our needs, then we need to increase the tempo and come out of the current wait-and-see mode,” the chairman said.
Two new interconnectors
Statnett in 2020 and 2021 has completed two new interconnectors to Germany and the UK that boost cross-border capacity by 2.8 GW. Baksaas said the next cable coming from Norway would probably be a so-called hybrid that connects an offshore wind farm to two or more countries.
“We plan to build a hybrid cable in 2030, but it may be we will need it earlier because we need the electricity in Norway,” said Baksaas.
He added that transmission capacity within Norway had to be developed to allow more-similar power prices across the country. This year, prices in the north have averaged EUR 30.95/MWh, while those in the south have averaged slightly above EUR 63/MWh.
The Nordic nation generated 154 TWh of electricity in 2020 and is normally a net exporter of electricity due to its abundance of hydropower, but the potential to expand hydropower production is limited since most viable locations have already been developed or are protected by nature conservation.
Onshore wind development has halted due to strong public opposition recently, leaving offshore wind as a beacon of hope from around 2030.
“If we believe that we can just wait for offshore wind to cover our needs, then we need to increase the tempo and come out of the current wait-and-see mode,” the chairman said.
Two new interconnectors
Statnett in 2020 and 2021 has completed two new interconnectors to Germany and the UK that boost cross-border capacity by 2.8 GW. Baksaas said the next cable coming from Norway would probably be a so-called hybrid that connects an offshore wind farm to two or more countries.
“We plan to build a hybrid cable in 2030, but it may be we will need it earlier because we need the electricity in Norway,” said Baksaas.
He added that transmission capacity within Norway had to be developed to allow more-similar power prices across the country. This year, prices in the north have averaged EUR 30.95/MWh, while those in the south have averaged slightly above EUR 63/MWh.
