Next year, the Swedish electricity price may increase by up to 20 percent. This is according to simulations carried out by Svenska kraftnät based on a new EU regulation, reports Today’s news.
The regulation means that electricity can be transferred between electricity areas and countries. During the next year, Sweden will introduce the system, which is called “flow-based capacity calculation”.
The purpose of the EU regulation is that the electricity grids in Europe should be used more efficiently by, among other things, increasing the availability of electricity and equalizing prices in Europe. It should lead to better conditions for electricity consumers and electricity producers, say experts the newspaper talks to.
– Think roughly that we introduce a Google Maps fixed for the power lines. We receive more data that enables the electricity to be distributed better and take the best routes, says Erik Ek, strategic operations manager at Svenska kraftnät.
According to simulations carried out by Svenska kraftnät for ten months where the new system was run next to the old one, this will lead to price increases in Sweden. It is likely that the electricity price in Sweden will be increased by an average of ten percent, in order to comply with the regulation.
Here the price is expected to rise the most
The electricity price is expected to rise the most in central Sweden, in electricity area 3 where over 60 percent of Sweden’s electricity consumers are located. There, the price increase is expected to land at 17.5 percent according to the tests carried out by Svenska kraftnät, DN reports.
The new EU rules mean around SEK 12 billion extra, which will mainly go to the electricity producers.
– It is pure transfer of wealth that can force companies into bankruptcy or private individuals from home, says electricity researcher Mats Nilsson to DN.
Increased energy tax
It has also been flagged for an increase in the energy tax of 9.2 percent. But no final decision has been made there yet.
When all charges are added to the electricity price, the total increase ends up at around SEK 4,600 per year if you consume 20,000 kilowatt hours, according to DN’s calculations.
The change also means that the Nordic countries export 5 percent more electricity to the continent, according to the tests.
– We have a European electricity market and all regulations are European. The societal benefit in Europe is getting better, Erik Ek answers to DN when asked why this is being implemented in Sweden even though it means higher electricity prices.