Sweden boosted its ability to send power to its southern region last year, providing relief to one of the areas in Europe most at risk of blackouts.
(Bloomberg) — Sweden boosted its ability to send power to its southern region last year, providing relief to one of the areas in Europe most at risk of blackouts.
Investments in cables and other infrastructure drove up north-to-south capacity by roughly 10% from a year earlier, grid operator Svenska Kraftnat said in a statement on Wednesday.
Southern Sweden, flagged by European grid group Entso-E as one of the regions most in danger of power outages this winter, needs all the extra electricity it can get after reactor shutdowns in recent years slashed available generation. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said last month it’s the area with the biggest supply/demand gap.
Read more: Swedish Premier Warns of ‘Acute’ Crisis as Key Reactor Shuts
“Increased transfer of power from surplus areas to deficit areas reduces the risk of shortages in the south,” said Erik Ek, strategical head of operations at the network manager. It also brings down prices in the south, he said.
Overall power demand in December fell 8.2% from a year earlier, the grid said in a separate statement.
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