{"id":11360,"date":"2025-04-02T08:28:16","date_gmt":"2025-04-02T15:28:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/?p=11360"},"modified":"2025-04-02T08:28:16","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T15:28:16","slug":"norways-political-earthquake-a-backstop-no-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/2025\/04\/02\/norways-political-earthquake-a-backstop-no-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Norway\u2019s Political Earthquake: A Backstop No More"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It was just utter stupidity that Germany phased out a lot of nuclear plants for this green agenda, though high energy prices for the region could have been the goal of the OCGFC, Owners and Controllers of Global Financialized Capital. But what if a major World War III scenario is afoot, and Germany didn’t want a bunch of nuclear power plants active and vulnerable? Of interest, a former aide to Zelensky said the Ukrainians have a plan to blow up nuclear power plants<\/a> if they are losing badly, and the Trump administration is working to get control of the plants which would lend credibility to the existence of such a plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/wattsupwiththat.com\/2025\/04\/01\/norways-political-earthquake-a-backstop-no-more\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

By Charles Rotter<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As reported by Bloomberg Opinion columnist Javier Blas in \u201cWhy Norway\u2019s Political Crisis Is a European Energy Problem<\/a>\u201d (Feb. 3, 2025)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After decades of quietly footing the bill for Europe\u2019s grand energy experiments, it appears Norway has finally decided to walk off the stage \u2014 or at the very least, slam the door shut on a few cross-border power cables on the way out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The political crisis rocking Oslo isn\u2019t just about domestic squabbles or ideological posturing. It\u2019s about energy \u2014 more specifically, the growing realization that Norway, with its hydro-rich grid, has become the unwilling battery pack for Germany\u2019s failed energy transition. Or as the Germans call it, Energiewende<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And like all grand social experiments conducted with other people\u2019s money, the Norwegians are understandably losing patience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dunkelflaute Domino Effect<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blas doesn\u2019t mince words. To understand what\u2019s happening in Norway, one must grasp two German words: Energiewende<\/em> and Dunkelflaute<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Energiewende<\/strong>: Germany\u2019s vaunted energy transition, which enthusiastically shuttered nuclear plants and lavished subsidies on intermittent wind and solar.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Dunkelflaute<\/strong>: A literal \u201cdark lull\u201d \u2014 those long winter stretches when it\u2019s not only cold and cloudy but also eerily still. No wind. No sun. No power.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    With baseload capacity gutted and dispatchable plants (i.e., fossil fuels) scorned, Germany has become a dangerously energy-dependent neighbor. When the sun doesn\u2019t shine and the wind doesn\u2019t blow, Berlin plugs into the north \u2014 namely Norway \u2014 and expects the lights to stay on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And for years, they have. At Norway\u2019s expense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Higher Prices, Diminishing Patience<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Cross-border power interconnectors, often lauded as marvels of modern engineering (and conveniently costing over $1 billion each), were supposed to create a seamless European grid. In theory, they would equalize prices and share resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In practice, they\u2019ve exported Germany\u2019s energy failures across the continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    According to Blas, \u201caverage wholesale power prices in 2023-2024 were more than 50% higher in southern Norway than in the 2010-2020 period\u201d \u2014 a direct result of increasing electricity exports to prop up struggling grids abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Norwegians are being told this is \u201cefficient.\u201d In reality, they\u2019re subsidizing bad policy \u2014 specifically, Berlin\u2019s decision to nuke its own nuclear fleet and double down on weather-dependent infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A Government Falls, and a Message Is Sent<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When the euro-skeptic Center Party pulled its support for new EU energy rules (the so-called fourth clean-energy package), it did more than provoke a minor government shakeup. It sent the clearest message yet that Norway isn\u2019t going to be Europe\u2019s backup generator anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Now, the Labour Party is left to govern alone \u2014 the first minority government in 25 years. Come the next election on September 8, this issue is likely to loom large.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This isn\u2019t just a Norwegian tantrum. It follows similar tensions elsewhere:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Sweden recently rejected a German request for another interconnector.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Norway previously turned down a British proposal for a cable to Scotland.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • France, Austria, and even Greece are starting to grumble about similar dynamics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      The illusion of a unified, efficient, pan-European energy market is cracking. And it\u2019s not hard to see why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Cross-Border Hypocrisy and the Green Mirage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The deeper irony here is that the very countries relying on Norway to bail them out are the ones most ardently pursuing aggressive \u201cgreen\u201d targets. These ambitions rest on the laughable assumption that renewables, backed by sporadic imports and dreams of storage unicorns, can replace baseload power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Germany, the ringmaster of this energy circus, shut down nuclear plants prematurely, only to find itself stuck with coal\u2026 again. Blas writes, \u201cBerlin needs to ensure it has enough domestic capacity to keep the lights on\u2026 that means keeping its coal-fired plants open far longer than it currently plans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      This is the real scandal: the so-called climate leaders are failing by their own standards, and dragging others down with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The Economics of \u201cEfficiency\u201d \u2014 For Whom?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Blas makes a crucial distinction between economic efficiency and political accountability:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n

      \u201cEfficiency has a different meaning in economics than in politics. In the former, it means \u2018lower average prices for everyone\u2019; in the latter, it means \u2018lower prices only for my own voters.’\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

      Translation: German voters enjoy cheaper power because Norwegian voters pay more. And now the latter are asking, \u201cWhy exactly are we doing this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The idea that Norway should continue subsidizing someone else\u2019s ideology \u2014 especially one that rejects the energy technologies that made Norway rich and resilient \u2014 is a non-starter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The Warning Shot Heard Across Europe<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The potential scrapping of two half-century-old cables to Denmark is no mere infrastructure quibble. It\u2019s a warning. When even the Nordic bloc, historically cooperative and consensus-driven, starts pulling back from EU energy integration, it\u2019s clear the entire house of cards is wobbling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The lesson? If a policy needs someone else to suffer economically in order to succeed, it\u2019s not a good policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      No More Mr. Nice Norseman<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Norway\u2019s quiet rebellion isn\u2019t just about politics or local pricing. It\u2019s a systemic indictment of the renewable-first, common-grid fantasy driving Europe\u2019s energy agenda. A nation that exports more electricity than it consumes shouldn\u2019t have its citizens paying some of the continent\u2019s highest prices. And it certainly shouldn\u2019t be forced to comply with policy packages it had no real role in shaping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Blas is right to call Norway\u2019s revolt a \u201cwake-up call.\u201d Whether Europe hits snooze or finally faces the consequences of its magical thinking will shape the continent\u2019s energy landscape for decades to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      One thing is clear: Norway is not going to be Europe\u2019s doormat anymore.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      It was just utter stupidity that Germany phased out a lot of nuclear plants for this green agenda, though high energy prices for the region could have been the goal of the OCGFC, Owners and Controllers of Global Financialized Capital. But what if a major World War III scenario is afoot, and Germany didn’t want […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world"],"blocksy_meta":[],"featured_image_src":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Jason","author_link":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/author\/jturning\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11360"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11360\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11361,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11360\/revisions\/11361"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}