It must be emphasised that this is not a problem and that the power system still has surplus capacity. "As long as we avoid major faults, the high consumption is not a problem. Cold weather also means calm weather, and we therefore expect things to remain under control the coming days," says Statnett Vice President Communications Tor Inge Akselsen.

It is not just the cold weather and increased need for electric heating which has sent the national consumption skyrocketing. Other contributing factors include:

• The price of electricity
Electricity prices for private end-users are relatively low. Although high prices have been seen in the wholesale electricity market for some hours of the day, this price signal only affects a minor part of the overall consumption.

• Economy
The average Norwegian household seems to have put their financial worries to rest. Consumption is on its way up.

• Power-intensive industry
Figures from recent months show that the consumption in this sector is on the increase. Since mid-August, consumption has risen by 500 MW. However, it must be emphasised that we are far from the level of consumption seen in this industry prior to the financial crisis.

• Boiler power
The consumption of so-called boiler power, electricity for heating central and district heating plants, is high. This is due to low electricity prices in combination with rising oil prices.

There is surplus capacity in Norwegian power plants, even with the high consumption we now see. The production system has a very solid reserve, as the available winter capacity is estimated to be about 26.5 million kilowatts.