Data from the power system
The figures and graphs showing numbers and data from the power system provide an overview of how the power system operates. This page works best on a PC.
Data may be missing in some places on this page, for example, data from wind power production that came into operation after 2019. This does not affect our operations.
Data on import and export before 2018 can be found in this table. A preliminary overview can be found here or on SSB's pages.
Nordic power flow
The Nordic region is a common power market divided into different price areas (also called bidding areas). The map shows how much power is flowing between the different price areas right now.
Within each price area, power is bought and sold on the exchange. The price is a result of the demand and supply of power for the price area reported to the power exchange.
In areas with energy scarcity, power producers will normally set a higher price for their power resources than producers in areas with better energy balance. More statistics can be obtained from NordPool, which is a Nordic electricity exchange.
Nordic power balance
Data quality
The overview of generated power is retrieved from the ENTSO-E transparency platform and is based on production plans from power producers as well as measurements on the interconnectors. The production figures will therefore differ somewhat from actual production.
Some delays and discrepancies in this data may occur. Production data for solar power is shown under the category “other.”
The figures in the table show production in MW per production type, and are updated every fifteen minutes. The data is provided per minute and averaged over each quarter-hour.
Balance Between Production and Consumption
Grid operation is a balancing act. Electricity is produced at the moment it is consumed. Statnett's task is to maintain the balance between production and consumption. We see the balance in the grid frequency, which indicates the rotational speed of the generators in the Nordic power system. At 50 Hz, the system is in balance.
Just like in a car engine, an increased load will cause the speed to drop. If the load in the power system increases, the frequency will drop, and Statnett must ask producers to increase their production.
The normal operating range in the Nordic power system is defined to be between 49.90 and 50.10 Hz, and periods of operation outside this range are referred to as frequency deviations.
Import and export
Data quality
The Power System Data and Statistics service publishes real-time data (measured and estimated values) for imports and exports.
The data are only corrected if there is a delay in the data. They are not adjusted to account for measurement errors or to improve estimates. As a result, other sources may present different data, and discrepancies between data sources may occur.
The data values are collected at a high temporal resolution (every 10 seconds) and are first aggregated into 15-minute values. These are then further aggregated into hourly values to obtain energy volumes expressed in MWh before publication. The 15-minute values represent net power exchange, while the hourly values are calculated by aggregating 15-minute net imports and net exports separately.
The data values are collected at a high temporal resolution (every 10 seconds) and aggregated into 15-minute values before publication.
The pie chart shows the proportion of import and export of the total power exchange between Norway and other countries.
The power system
The hydropower-based Norwegian power system is flexible, and producers have the ability to save water for periods when the need is greatest.
When hydropower plants reduce their production, power is imported to cover consumption in Norway. Find more information about how the electricity and power market works.
Production and consumption
Electricity cannot be stored. Therefore, there must always be a balance between production and consumption.
The statistics are not corrected for a margin of error of one to two percent. Deviations in these data may occur.
Production is the sum of the power delivered by the larger power producers, as well as the estimated production from smaller producers. Consumption is calculated as production plus power import, or minus export, on Statnett's connections to the Nordic region and Europe.
All measurements are taken hourly. For longer periods, it may be appropriate to choose a different time resolution. You can then switch from hourly to, for example, weekly or monthly. The table on the left then shows the maximum, minimum, and average values for the selected time resolution. The total indicates the total value for the period and will not change even if you change the time resolution.
Hydrological data
Each week, the NVE prepares an overview of the water levels in each reservoir in Norway. Aggregated data per spot market area and for the country as a whole are normally released on Wednesday afternoons. The available history for this data series extends as far back as 1993. As regards the individual spot market areas, the statistics are available within the timeframe of the area division in question.
The water levels vary over the course of the year, peaking in late autumn and with the lowest levels in April/May. If all the reservoirs had been 100% full, this would correspond to 82 TWh.
The power situation
This is Statnett's assessment of the power situation in various areas of Norway in this season. The assessment is based on statistical data regarding inflow to reservoirs in the various regions, reservoir fill rate, anticipated consumption and import capacity.
Nearly all electricity generated in Norway comes from hydropower plants. The hydropower plants' opportunities to produce power largely vary according to the level of precipitation from year to year. During years of heavy precipitation, we may generate far more than what is consumed in Norway, while we may depend on imports from neighbouring countries during dry years.