Norway’s Socialist Left Party wants state control over the power market
The Socialist Left Party (SV) reacted positively to the government's electricity support package, but the party wants major changes in power policy and wants to give the state more power.
The Socialist Left Party (SV) reacted positively to the government’s electricity support package, but the party wants major changes in power policy and wants to give the state more power.
On Saturday, the Støre government presented a major support package aimed at helping Norwegian households pay sky-high electricity bills this winter.
According to the scheme, the state will cover half of the electricity price for the part of the bill that exceeds a spot price of 70 øre per kilowatt-hour. The government has set aside NOK 5 billion for the scheme, which will apply from December to March next year.
Haltbrekken: We will look at the proposal and see if improvements can be made
The SV is supportive of the package, Lars Haltbrekken, the party’s energy policy spokesman, said on Monday.
“Now we will look at the proposal and see if improvements can be made and if it can be fairer,” he told the newspaper Klassekampen on Monday.
In the longer term, he believes that radical changes must be made in power policy. The SV wants to introduce a scheme where households can enter into long-term electricity agreements with the state, such as the industry’s long-term power agreements.
“We want a government body that buys electricity from the power companies. You could call it Statstrøm or something else. The state would be able to negotiate much cheaper agreements than individual consumers,” Haltbrekken said.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
