Production and consumption of electricity down in November

Production in November totalled 9,124 GWh, down 26 per cent from the same month the year before. Gross domestic consumption totalled 10,330 GWh, down nine per cent. Water levels in reservoirs are steadily decreasing and totalled 50.3 per cent during the second week.

In counties with high production, over 10,000 GWh per year, the decline in output was highest in Sogn og Fjordane, Telemark and Hordaland. Here, production dropped respectively 47.38 and 33 per cent from November the year before. In the period from January to November, production dropped 14 per cent from the same period in 1995. Gross consumption in the same period dipped 1.7 per cent.

From August to November last year, however, consumption fell between seven and 10 per cent in comparison to the same months the year before. The decline is believed to be linked to the price increase for electricity during this time. The consumption of electricity in power intensive industries dropped in November by about four per cent from the same month before. The decline was the largest in the production of iron, steel and ferroalloys, in which consumption declined 12 per cent.

High imports

Imports increased significantly from January to November, totalling 11,561 GWh, four times as much as during the same period the year before. Imports in November totalled 1,340 GWh. This is somewhat lower compared to September and October, and is due to a substantial decline in supplies from Sweden.

New Statistics

Monthly electricity statistics, November 1996.

The statistics are compiled in cooperation with the Norwegian Power Grid Company and Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Administration. They are also available in the Official Statistics of Norway (NOS) Monthly Bulletin of Statistics. More information: Ann Christin Břeng, tel. +47 21 09 47 43, e-mail: abg@ssb.no.

Weekly Bulletin issue no. 3, 1997