Vattenfall announced earlier this year that it is pausing the Kriegers Flak wind power project. Now they have also warned that the wind power project Kattegatt Syd may have to be paused.
– In a situation where Sweden needs to increase production, but also increase electricity production in a way that enables more consumption, it is clear that it is ominous, says Busch according to TT.
The government has noted that many power producers are struggling with the investment calculations now. One reason is volatile electricity prices, according to Busch.
– You don’t know whether to count on minus prices, then it’s not possible to invest in new production, or four kroner per kilowatt hour. It fluctuates so much that you don’t know what to make the investment calculation on, and we have to remedy that, says the Minister of Energy and Food.
LKAB has also paused
At the same time, the state-owned mining giant LKAB has announced that it is pausing parts of its production of fossil-free sponge iron in Kiruna, which means that significantly less electricity production will be needed in the north than previously estimated. However, this does not worry Busch too much.
– They are putting this off for the future, it’s not like they’re saying that this won’t happen. It is positive that the plan is still firm, she says.
According to TT, the reason for this pause is that LKAB wants to prioritize the deposit Per Geijer and the rare earth metals found there.