Gross consumption of electricity in Norway totalled a record 8,909 GWh in May, the highest consumption ever recorded for this month. Compared to the same month last year the increase is just over two per cent. The high consumption is attributed to a colder than normal May and increased consumption by the power-intensive industries.
Production of electricity in May totalled 8,335 GWh. This is a reduction of nearly one per cent from the same month last year. In counties with high production of electricity (over 8,000 GWh per year) the decline was the largest in Rogaland, Nordland and Sogn og Fjordane, with respective decreases of 49, 20 and nine per cent. Net imports, i.e. imports minus exports, totalled 574 GWh in April, about double the net import in the same month last year. In power-intensive industries consumption totalled 2,474 GWh, an increase of 2.3 per cent from May last year. The increase was the largest in the manufacturing of industrial chemicals and the production of aluminium and other metals, which saw increases of six and 5.4 per cent, respectively.
Weekly Bulletin issue no. 27, 1997