Norwegian power demand, production at record highs in first quarter
04/05/2021 07:37
OSLO, May 4 (Reuters) - Norwegian electricity production and
consumption both reached record levels in the first quarter of
2021, helped by cold weather and plentiful water reserves,
energy regulator NVE said on Tuesday.
Low temperatures combined with plentiful water supply in the
hydro power-dominated country, as well as increased power
exports contributed to the new records, NVE said.
Power demand reached 42.7 terawatt hours (TWh) for the first
three months this year, more than any other quarter previously,
while January also saw a new monthly consumption record of 15.65
TWh. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2KA411
Production also reached new highs, hitting 45.7 TWh in the
first quarter of 2021, up 13% compared to the same period a year
ago, NVE's figures showed, confirming previously released data
from the country's statistics office. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2M92MB
"A long cold spell contributed to the high demand and at
times high electricity prices we saw in the first quarter," said
Inga Nordberg, head of NVE's energy and concessions department.
Some individual hours saw wholesale power prices spike above
200 euros per megawatt hour in early February.
(Reporting by Nora Buli, editing by Terje Solsvik)
((Nora.Buli@thomsonreuters.com; (+47) 21 04 05 56; Reuters
Messaging: nora.buli.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))