Jesper Starn, Bloomberg News
BC-Norway-Overtakes-France-as-Europeâs-Biggest-Electricity-Exporter
, Jesper Starn
(Bloomberg) -- Norway sent almost a fifth of its power generation abroad during the second half of 2020 to make it the biggest net exporter of electricity in Europe, surpassing France.
Norway took the top spot as its hydroelectric producers had to boost output to avoid overfilled dams bursting during unusually wet weather, according to energy consultants Enappsys Ltd. By contrast, Franceâs nuclear power stations, the main source of the nationâs electricity, struggled with extended maintenance halts due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
âNorwegian power prices remained low, which made it an attractive economic proposition for other countries to meet their electricity demand by taking some of the excess from Norway,â Alena Nispel, an analyst at Enappsys, said in a statement. Its leading position âcould remain for some time, especially with neighboring countries such as Denmark relying on Norway for supplies.â