Statnett will no longer allocate capacity in the power grid for larger industrial projects in Northern Norway, the company announced. The grid operator has set the limit for new power consumption in Nordland at 5 MW north of the Svartisen glacier, and nearly 30 industrial projects that have requested more than 5 MW must wait. Statnett's analysis shows that the risk of power shortage and voltage collapse in the event of a fault is unacceptably high, according to the company.
In East Finnmark, Statnett has reduced the limit for normal power consumption from 5 MW to 1 MW, according to multiple reports. The new limit applies to the transmission grid stations at Lakselv, Adamselv, Tana bru, and Varangerbotn. Jens Roald Betsi, CEO of Barents Nett, told NRK Troms og Finnmark that 1 MW may be enough for a normal hotel, but not for larger projects like charging stations or mineral industry. The new limit means Barents Nett must say no to several projects that want to connect to the grid, according to the company.
We and the entire power industry are appalled by Statnett's decision.
Projects that have already been allocated capacity in the power grid retain that capacity, Statnett said. The company estimates that power consumption in the region will increase by 60% over the next ten years. Stian Jenssen, Nscale chief in Scandinavia, said Statnett's decision does not affect the first phase of the data center project in Kvandal, but scaling up was the goal.
Statnett is working to increase grid capacity, including building a new 420 kV power line from Skaidi to Lebesby, according to multiple reports. The company will also install a control unit on the power connection to Finland. These measures could increase capacity by up to 100 MW, according to Statnett.
We are a region where power is abundant. Now we are not allowed to use it. It is completely catastrophic.
The power capacity in East Finnmark varies between surplus for large parts of the year and periods of deficit, according to Statnett. In deficit situations, East Finnmark must receive power from surrounding areas.
County leaders in Nordland, Troms, and Finnmark demand an emergency meeting with Energy Minister Terje Aasland. According to NRK Nordland, Marianne Dobak Kvensjø, county council leader in Nordland, described the situation as a crisis for Northern Norway. County councilor for business in Nordland, Svein Eggesvik, told multiple reports that the power stop means a complete halt to business development in the north. According to NRK Nordland, Eggesvik described the situation as deeply serious, noting that a general power stop affects real jobs and local communities, and that the unpredictable timeline makes it worse.
It is violent. It is one of the worst things Northern Norway has experienced in many decades.
According to NRK Nordland, Elnar Remi Holmen, group director for renewables at Salten Kraftsamband, described the decision as catastrophic. According to NRK Nordland, Eirik Frantzen, group director at Nordkraft, described the decision as one of the worst things Northern Norway has experienced in decades. According to NRK Troms og Finnmark, Wenche Pedersen, leader of the East Finnmark Council, described the situation as very serious and said many have warned against it.
Anne Sofie Ravndal Risnes, director of regional plans at Statnett, said the reduction to 1 MW is a measure to handle various incidents and maintain good power supply. According to NRK Nordland, Gunnar Løvås in Statnett described the limit as set due to supply security concerns, adding that grid development takes time and they must respect physical laws.
It is like drawing a line through the entire northern area policy and drawing a line through all development indefinitely.
We have never been concerned with our own profitability. We are concerned with increasing consumption so that we can create new industrial jobs. So this is very, very serious and actually almost catastrophic.
We do that out of consideration for the supply security in the area.
And we cannot just conjure everything up by making measures in the grid. It takes a long time to build out. So we have to relate to the physical laws and that supply security is our core task.
One megawatt of power can be enough to run a normal hotel in Finnmark.
But if you want to establish charging stations, have shore power for vessels, start mineral industry, have aquaculture on land, it usually requires capacity beyond one megawatt.
I note that they say it is temporary. I sincerely hope so. But I know that grid development takes an awfully long time. In other words, this is not a situation that will change in the short term.
When you reduce the possibility of getting access to power, it goes without saying that it is a very serious situation. One that many of us have warned against for a long time.
This is simply a crisis for Northern Norway. A general power stop means in practice a full brake on business development.
We are talking about real businesses, real jobs and local communities where all development stops.