Swedes Prepare to Shiver

The Swedish government is advising its citizens to prepare to wear outdoor clothing indoors and take fewer showers next winter, because the evil Vladimir Putin has driven up the price of electricity.

Many thanks to LN for translating this article from Samhällsnytt:

Expensive winter for householders — may face an additional SEK 50,000 in electricity bills

The popularly dubbed “sosse [socialist] prices” on electricity — or “Putin prices”, according to the Socialist government — may hit homeowners’ finances brutally this winter. You should prepare for a full 50,000 kronor [$5,000] increase in your electric bill for the cold months, experts warn.

It is already clear that the month of July, despite the heat, was the most expensive ever for electricity consumers. But that’s nothing compared to what lies in store for this winter when the cold hits. Homeowners who can’t put aside an extra SEK 50,000 to pay electric companies can expect to freeze this winter, have their electricity switched off and end up in court for unpaid electricity bills.

Red-Green energy policy decisions hit hard

The premature closure of nuclear power plants, the large-scale investment in unreliable and inadequate wind power, the interconnection of the Swedish electricity grid with other countries and the introduction of enormously power-hungry IT giants that receive electricity almost free of charge have put Sweden in a serious state of crisis when it comes to the electricity supply.

Warnings have been issued that households and businesses in Sweden may have their electricity cut off at times, something previously associated only with developing countries. Electric prices have also periodically soared to levels that have wrecked the economies of many households and driven companies out of business. However, experts are now warning that prices could be even higher this winter.

No contingency if Putin cuts gas supply

Christian Holtz, an analyst at the energy consultancy Merlin & Metis, tells Dagens Industri that Swedish homeowners should expect a surcharge of SEK 50,000 on top of what they normally pay for electricity this winter, citing Putin’s announcement of a cutoff in gas supplies to the EU as a direct cause.

For Sweden, however, it is about the lack of redundancy in the electricity supply that the red-green and red governments in particular have created through an aggressive premature closure of fully functioning nuclear power plants and a totally inadequate attempt to cover the loss of electricity production with wind turbines. If the now-vanished spare capacity had been left in the system, Sweden would have been prepared for Russian sanctions today.

The situation is further aggravated by the fact that Sweden is affected by other countries’ ill-considered energy policy decisions. This is particularly true for Germany, where the [Swedish] Green Party’s counterpart, the Greens, has been even more successful than Sweden in shutting down nuclear power. The fact that the Swedish electricity market is now linked to Europe’s means that we in Sweden cannot protect our domestic electricity needs and are being dragged into the German electricity crisis, for example.

Delayed development of infrastructure has diverse effects

The delayed development of the country’s electricity transmission infrastructure also means that Sweden’s electricity consumers suffer drastically differently. In the north, where hydropower dominates, electricity prices are relatively low, while consumers in the south, where nuclear power used to account for the lion’s share of electricity production, have been hit by sky-high electricity prices.

“Northern Sweden has a large production surplus with a lot of hydropower and the transmission capacity is not enough to even out prices within the country,” explains Arne Bergvik, an energy strategist at the Sigholm consultancy, whom DI also spoke to.

Temporary price drop due to windy weather

A slight drop in electricity prices has been observed in recent weeks. This is mainly due to windy weather in the country, which has boosted wind turbines. However, the continuation of this weather is not something that should be expected.

“It is partly due to the windy weather that is temporarily boosting wind power production. But unfortunately, it is most likely only a temporary downturn,” says Arne Bergvik.

Electricity prices may increase by three to four times, or even more, this winter

Instead, he agrees with Christian Holtz that Swedish households and businesses must expect electricity prices to continue to skyrocket and the electricity crisis to worsen further with each passing week, saying he “would be surprised” if electricity prices this winter are not three or four times higher than they were last winter, even though they were high even then.

“Next winter may be really tough for electricity users in southern Sweden,” adds Christian Holtz.

He has calculated a figure of 50,000 kronor more in electricity bills for a homeowner who consumes 13,000 kWh from October to March, and the electricity price will rise by SEK 3 plus VAT. At the same time, Holtz warns that it could be even more expensive for those living in southern Sweden, and that it could also be more expensive for everyone if Putin shuts off the gas tap completely in response to the sanctions imposed by the EU on Russia after the invasion of Ukraine.

17 thoughts on “Swedes Prepare to Shiver

  1. They could always burn Greens to stay warm. No shortage of those, but not an efficient substitute compared to burning coal or gas. Saint Greta might provide enough heat to keep a rapefugee home full of orcs warm for an hour or so.

  2. Sweden has passed and implemented far too many laws based on ideology rather than the realities of scientific practice. Now they are confronted with the inadequacies of ideology and have nowhere to go. The laws of the fundamental sciences are unforgiving.

  3. Yeah; electric rates in California, US went up 60% because its “governor,” Gavin Newsom, ordered the state’s natural gas and nuclear plants offline in order to force “green” energy down our throats. Now, instead of the state using its own clean natural gas plants to generate electricity, it needs to IMPORT 26% of its total needs from other states. It’s anyone’s guess as to how that power is generated. Newsom doesn’t care. He looks good on paper…

  4. They are following the Schwabian /WEF/ Build Back Better formula of destroying Western Civ via the phony climate crisis.

    All of the disgusting, vile oligarchs who now rule the world are conspiring to de-industrialize the First World countries thereby starving and freezing us to death this winter.

    New York was probably the first one to start the Green New Deal hoax and is moving quickly to make my state impossible to live in. Just like in Europe and California, the powers that be shut down one of our biggest electricity producers, Indian Point power plant causing massive instability in the grid.

    Even if we could stop this madness immediately, it will take years to repair the damage that our Satanic overlords have wreaked.

  5. This winter while Europe/Canada and some US states freezes and starves, I’ll be sitting back smiling at these peoples stupidity with a good glass of bourbon sitting in front of the fire watching it all come crashing down. I have lost any bit of sympathy or empathy for these useful idiot sheep and their WEF rulers. Once things go from bad to worse, the people in their feckless stupidity will come to be ruled by the strongmen with ruthless resolve. The WEF types are too weak to be able to let rule and they are about to find out to their collective horror. I welcome the days of the Wolves.

  6. Well that happens when your “employment” requirements for public offices and bureaucracy is Sycophancy driven to Ideology in all and everything.

    On the other hand, here in South Africa our electricity prices have more than quadrupled and quadrupled again since 2006 through utter corruption, incompetence, greed and the “Black Economic Empowerment” act, and still they switch off our Electricity at least once or twice a day for 2.5 hours each time.

    Before 2006 I paid R 25 for my pre-paid Electricity a week, with no Energy-saving appliences and the hot water geyser switched on 24/7.
    Now, with each and every electrical appliance in my household Energy-saving, my Stove and Hot water running over Gas, baking in a Wood-fired oven etc…..
    My Electricity Bill is now R 150 a week, and on top of that comes a Basic Fee of R 900 each month, because my House is zoned as a business.

  7. Europe, including, of course, Sweden, has cut its energy wrist. The only remedy that can save it is rapid infusion of coal and plutonium.

  8. But, the Swedes will have a brand new NATO flag to wrap themselves in. That should keep them snug as a bug in a rug.

  9. Re: “The Swedish government is advising its citizens to prepare to wear outdoor clothing indoors and take fewer showers next winter, because the evil Vladimir Putin has driven up the price of electricity.”

    H.L. Mencken said “Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard…”

    Well, the Swedes are now going to get it good and hard. You get the government you deserve, and all of those years of sanctimoniously looking down their noses at the rest of the world are now coming home to roost. Enjoy your banquet of consequences.

  10. Is Swedish plumbing resistant to freezing and subsequent pipe leaks? Perhaps the new Swedes may decide to go somewhere else unless they become preferred or protected energy recipients.

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