Electricity, February 2005

Both production and exports of power were record high in February. The production of power came to 13 373 GWh, which is 24.9 per cent higher than in February last year. The exports of power reached a peak of 1 558 GWh. By the end of January and at the beginning of February the reservoir level was higher than normal for the period. The high production and exports of power may be due to the need for available capacity in the reservoirs when the melting of snow in the mountain areas starts. In the middle of February the reservoir level was 55.4 per cent of total capacity. The median is 56.2 per cent of total capacity against 40.8 per cent last year.

Lower consumption in power-intensive industries

The consumption in power-intensive industries was amounted to 2 467 GWh in February - a decrease of 2.4 per cent from February 2004. Compared with January this year the consumption in power-intensive industries fell by 17 per cent. The consumption in other kinds of industries came to 9 347 GWh in February - an increase of 4.1 per cent from the same month last year. Norway exported 1 684 GWh and imported only 126 GWh in February. Imports of power in February have not been lower since 1995.

Prices of electric energy

Tables:

• Table 1 Production, import, export and consumption of electric energy. GWh. Preliminary figures