凛冬将至：能源危机令北欧进入“战时状态”

Electricity and gas prices have continued to rise in Europe this year.  One after another round of EU sanctions against Russia continue to ferment, the "backlash" of the fear of driving energy prices soaring.  Several Baltic states have recently hit record levels of electricity prices for next year, reaching as much as 12 times the price of the same period a year ago, according to the European Energy Exchange.  

The unprecedented energy crisis is forcing Finland into a "war economy", Prime Minister Sana Marin told the media.  

Finns should prepare for possible power shortages and blackouts in the coming winter amid uncertainty in the electricity market, Finnish transmission network operator FINGRID warned.  

The city of Helsinki is organising a power outage exercise at the end of September to test government and business co-operation during major power distribution disruptions, expected to last from a few days to a week.  

The ministry warned the nation that a massive power outage would immediately lead to the closure of public transport, banks, gas stations and shops, telephone and Internet connections would be unavailable after 2-6 hours, and indoor temperatures would drop rapidly after 18-36 hours.  

Electricity prices in Finland have fluctuated wildly in recent months, with most households paying several times as much for their electricity, regardless of long-term or short-term contracts.   On September 8th Wilf Ruhenen, an expert at the statistics office, said that, based on available data, sharply rising electricity prices had caused payment difficulties for about 100,000 Finnish households.  

"We are talking about thousands of euros more in electricity bills this winter, which will be difficult even for middle class families," Economic Affairs Minister Mika Linthile told the press.   On September 10th Mr Lintier said that "a cold wind is blowing" and that measures needed to be taken quickly to stabilise the electricity market, with saving electricity and imposing price caps as the best contingency measures.  

Yucca Appelquist, chief economist of the Central Chamber of Commerce, told reporters that the economic outlook for the future is particularly bleak as food prices continue to rise due to the sharp rise in energy costs.  

On September 7, Finland independent macroeconomic advisers GnS Economics, chief executive and chief economist Thomas marin, said the situation in Europe are far worse than many people know, because of the war and sanctions and other causes lead to energy crisis and the deterioration of the euro, and so on and so forth very fast, European Banks on the verge of crisis,   With the European economy on the brink of collapse, Europeans may have only weeks, if not months, to take precautions.  

According to the finance Ministry's latest budget plan for 2023, the government will help Finns through a package of support, including a reduction in VAT on electricity and a discretionary subsidy for families with children.  

In early September, the Finnish government announced plans for a national energy conservation campaign under the theme of "one degree reduction," the last such campaign was during the oil shocks of the 1970s.  

The picture  

On September 8, the Danish government announced three measures to deal with the energy crisis, including a DKR 100 billion state guarantee for Danish power companies, a requirement that public buildings be kept at 19 degrees Celsius and a call for Danes to save energy.  

To help households most affected by the energy crisis, the Danish government has already subsidized more than 400,000 low-income households, who mainly use gas and electric heating systems, by DKR 6,000, amounting to DKR 2.4 billion.  

A spokesman for Sweden's Green Party criticized the government, saying it was shocked that it was not prepared to do more when energy prices were high. It was a betrayal of people who needed affordable energy.   According to the report, Sweden is considered the country with the greatest potential for offshore wind power in the Baltic countries, but the government's commitment to increase its offshore wind capacity from the current 0.2 gigawatts to 0.7 gigawatts is a drop in the ocean given the current energy crisis.  

Sweden's power grid announced on September 8th that it had submitted an application for large-scale offshore wind development to the government to ease the tight power supply in the south, and was keen to get approval soon.  

Nuclear power has been the mainstay of Sweden's electricity supply for decades.  In 2016, the Swedish parliament passed a development plan to achieve 100 percent renewable energy generation by 2040, explicitly excluding nuclear power.  The current energy crisis will prompt Sweden's political parties to consider whether more energy options are needed.  

Sweden held a closely fought election for a new parliament on September 11, ending with a narrow majority for the opposition bloc of right-wing parties and a defeat for the bloc supporting the incumbent government.   Swedish Prime Minister Anders Andersson conceded defeat in parliamentary elections and announced his resignation Wednesday.  

How to adjust Sweden's energy development path in the future?  It is a question that will become more pressing as winter approaches.