energy
Norwegian state wants to contribute to electricity bill
Shortly before it was shut down, the Mehrum coal-fired power plant in the Peine district was producing electricity again. Photo: Julian Stratenschulte / dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Electricity prices are skyrocketing across Europe – and are also being fueled by the measures for the necessary climate change. In Norway, the state now wants to give consumers a hand.
The Norwegian government wants to ease the burden on consumers from the rapidly increasing electricity prices.
From the next electricity bill, Norwegian households will receive state support through a deduction in the event of exceptionally high electricity prices, as Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre announced in Oslo on Saturday. The state would then take over half of what exceeds a price of 70 Øre (around 0.07 euros) per kilowatt hour. The measure should therefore apply from December 2021 to March 2022. The government wants to submit a corresponding proposal to parliament as soon as possible.
“An extraordinary situation like this requires extraordinary measures,” said Støre. According to government figures, the direct costs of supporting electricity customers will be an estimated five billion Norwegian kroner (almost 500 million euros).
Electricity prices have risen sharply across Europe in the past few months. Millions of consumers in Germany are also affected by this.