Norway’s Energy Crisis Is a Warning the UK Cannot Ignore

[Social Media]

 

If Britain is to avoid becoming a world leader in energy failure, urgent changes must be made. Norway’s government collapsed this week over flawed energy policies driven by extreme climate agendas, but it is not the first to fall victim to such mismanagement. Northern Ireland holds that distinction, having suffered political turmoil in 2017 after the botched rollout of the UK’s renewable heat scheme, which led to widespread abuse and ultimately brought down the power-sharing agreement between Sinn Féin and the DUP. However, Norway’s crisis could have even greater consequences for the UK.  

 

The populist, Eurosceptic Centre Party, alongside other right-wing factions, has taken issue with the fact that Norwegians are being forced to pay higher prices for their own energy due to international demand for their hydropower. They are particularly outraged by EU directives that threaten Norway’s ability to reserve energy for domestic use or shield itself from an energy crisis. Their frustration is exacerbated by what they see as reckless decisions made by neighboring countries—especially Germany—which have only worsened the situation. With the Labour Party now left in charge without a functioning majority, Norway is heading for a general election no later than September, and current polling suggests a nationalist populist coalition is likely to take power.  

 

The UK faces a similarly precarious situation. Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, has pledged to decarbonize Britain’s power grid by 2030. Given the slow pace of nuclear power development, this will almost entirely rely on renewable sources, particularly offshore wind, along with a massive expansion of pylons to transport electricity. At the same time, the government has maintained a ban on domestic fracking, extended restrictions to new North Sea oil and gas projects, and removed legal protections for previously approved ventures like Rosebank.

 

These decisions not only undermine the UK’s energy security—since wind power is inherently intermittent—but also increase reliance on energy imports. At present, the only feasible solution to balance the grid during periods of low wind is to keep gas turbines on standby, ready to be fired up at enormous expense using imported gas, much of which comes from Norway via pipeline. While the electricity interconnector (NSL) between the UK and Norway has the capacity to power 1.4 million homes, it would be entirely useless if Norway decided to limit exports during critical low-wind periods. At present, it is electricity, rather than gas, that is most at risk of being withheld.

 

However, rising populism in energy policy is not about technology—it is about price. Norway’s vast North Sea wealth follows the same economic rules as its power supply: as global demand rises, prices increase. If Norway’s energy nationalism escalates, the UK’s next best option is liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments from the United States, which proved vital during the 2022 crisis. Yet, Donald Trump’s policy agenda prioritizes cheap fracked gas for American manufacturing over British energy needs, and this tension will only grow if Britain continues to emulate Germany’s failed energy policies under Angela Merkel.  

 

Other energy alternatives are even less reliable, and the risk extends beyond Norway and the US. If these trends continue, France and Belgium could also impose restrictions on energy exports, further isolating the UK. The next five years could see a catastrophic convergence of problems: stalled progress on renewables and nuclear power, capital and talent fleeing Aberdeen, mounting costs to keep aging gas plants operational, and skyrocketing import prices—assuming suppliers do not ban exports altogether.  

 

The warning signs are unmistakable, yet the UK’s response so far has been dangerously complacent. If Britain is to avoid a future where people sit in the dark, too poor to heat their homes, the government must act decisively and abandon its current energy trajectory before it is too late.

 

Based on a report by Daily Telegraph 2025-02-03

 

 

[thaibeachlovers]

7 hours ago, Social Media said:

The warning signs are unmistakable, yet the UK’s response so far has been dangerously complacent. If Britain is to avoid a future where people sit in the dark, too poor to heat their homes, the government must act decisively and abandon its current energy trajectory before it is too late.

Since WW2 when has a British Government ( not counting Thatcher, and look what happened to her ) acted decisively or done anything before it was forced to?

Perhaps we can rename the "ruling class" to the "donkey class".

[thaibeachlovers]

Time to reopen the pits?

[BritManToo]

7 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Time to reopen the pits?

They were mostly all flooded so they couldn't be reopened.

[Ben Zioner]

7 hours ago, Social Media said:

The UK faces a similarly precarious situation. Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, has pledged to decarbonize Britain’s power grid by 2030. Given the slow pace of nuclear power development, this will almost entirely rely on renewable sources, particularly offshore wind, along with a massive expansion of pylons to transport electricity.

Looks like the French did it right... Until the next Tchernobyl like nuclear disaster happens 30 miles from Lyon and nicely upwind of Geneva.

[thaibeachlovers]

43 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

They were mostly all flooded so they couldn't be reopened.

Why am I not surprised? Sounds like something a government would do out of spite.

 

One could suspect I'm not a believer in the intelligence of politicians. However, this Starmer seems exceptionally stupid even by politician standards.

[harryviking]

The Norwegian Government did NOT collapse! Harsh words. One party left the the government due to some disagreement over the EU energy policy. It barely raised any eyebrows at all! The AP party is continuing and it might actually be good for Norway. No energy crisis in Norway!!!😆

[soalbundy]

6 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Why am I not surprised? Sounds like something a government would do out of spite.

 

One could suspect I'm not a believer in the intelligence of politicians. However, this Starmer seems exceptionally stupid even by politician standards.

They flood naturally as they are below the water table. When the pits are in use they have to use water pumps to keep them dry, obviously when they are closed down the pumping no longer occurres

[Hummin]

It is not an energy crises, it is a political crises. If we just built 10  gas power plants we could use our clean energy on our self, instead of exporting and empty our resources, so Eu and Uk look better on the emissions graphs. Pure stupidity and also making share holders rich. It used to be energy for people at cost price, but somehow somebody managed to f.ck us over with help of Eu deals, making other people rich. Same as 

the wind power plants, and solar panels they are forcing on us. 

Rightfully so, we all (the majority) will vote for the right wing party who promises to change everything, but really doesn’t change anything, because they where part of it from the beginning. 

 

Anyway, it is a political crisis, not energy problem for Norway

 

[Chomper Higgot]

There is a gaping flaw in the article’s logic.

 

UK energy users pay the world market price for oil and gas. New supplies from fracking and offshore drilling will not be cheaper to UK users, those supplies too would be charges at world market prices.

 

Renewables on the other hand are not charged at world market prices and are reducing the UK’s reliance on imported energy.

 

 

[Chomper Higgot]

29 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Why am I not surprised? Sounds like something a government would do out of spite.

 

One could suspect I'm not a believer in the intelligence of politicians. However, this Starmer seems exceptionally stupid even by politician standards.

I think you’ll find it was the same Thatcher you mentioned earlier that closed down the UK’s coal mines.

 

Flooding is what happens when the pumps are switched off.

 

Pumps being switched off is what happens when mines close.

 

[Bkk Brian]

Its also for the EU not to ignore:

 

Why Norway’s Political Crisis Is a European Energy Problem

The 30-year-long trend of integration and liberalization of the region’s electricity market is at risk. 

In Norway, energiewende and dunkelflaute have collided, pushing up local electricity prices as the country exports a growing amount of power via cross-border cables. Average wholesale power prices in 2023-2024 were more than 50% higher in southern Norway than in the 2010-2020 period. The problem reached its zenith last week when Oslo debated whether to adopt new EU rules, known as the fourth clean-energy package, key to advancing the rollout of renewables.1 On Thursday, the euro-skeptic Center Party denied its support to the measures and abandoned the coalition government that’s ruled the country for three-and-a-half years, setting off the leadership spiral. The center-left Labour Party will now go it alone, in the party’s first minority government in 25 years, ahead of elections set for Sept. 8.

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2025-02-03/why-norway-s-political-crisis-is-a-european-energy-problem

https://archive.ph/nThxP

[thaibeachlovers]

21 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

They flood naturally as they are below the water table. When the pits are in use they have to use water pumps to keep them dry, obviously when they are closed down the pumping no longer occurres

In that case they should be able to pump them out and King Coal can save Britain.

[thaibeachlovers]

20 minutes ago, Hummin said:

It is not an energy crises, it is a political crises. If we just built 10  gas power plants we could use our clean energy on our self, instead of exporting and empty our resources, so Eu and Uk look better on the emissions graphs. Pure stupidity and also making share holders rich. It used to be energy for people at cost price, but somehow somebody managed to f.ck us over with help of Eu deals, making other people rich. Same as 

the wind power plants, and solar panels they are forcing on us. 

Rightfully so, we all (the majority) will vote for the right wing party who promises to change everything, but really doesn’t change anything, because they where part of it from the beginning. 

 

Anyway, it is a political crisis, not energy problem for Norway

 

Agree. It just exposes politicians for being charlatans.

[soalbundy]

Just now, thaibeachlovers said:

In that case they should be able to pump them out and King Coal can save Britain.

The amount of water that has now accumulated would be beyond pumping now

[thaibeachlovers]

1 minute ago, soalbundy said:

The amount of water that has now accumulated would be beyond pumping now

Then Britain will freeze this winter.

[Hummin]

6 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Agree. It just exposes politicians for being charlatans.

You know the right politicians when retired, gets hired for WHO, eu council general secretary, eu security adviser, peace missions, Nato, and so on

 

Twice Norwegian people voted no to EU, but we are backstabbed, totally 

 

In return they steal our fish and e energy, as well because we are not completely admitted to eu, our krone half its value, to manipulate us in.

 

Anyway we are just better of the long term, and hope not they succeed. 

 

We have something they want, and our lives is still good. Some temporary turbulence we have to deal with 

[soalbundy]

Just now, thaibeachlovers said:

Then Britain will freeze this winter.

55555555, I'm in Thailand

[MadAtMatrix]

I can see politicians plugging in electric fans to turn windmills to produce energy, or asking people to stand on the beach and blow at them......

[newbee2022]

9 hours ago, Social Media said:

 

If Britain is to avoid becoming a world leader in energy failure, urgent changes must be made. Norway’s government collapsed this week over flawed energy policies driven by extreme climate agendas, but it is not the first to fall victim to such mismanagement. Northern Ireland holds that distinction, having suffered political turmoil in 2017 after the botched rollout of the UK’s renewable heat scheme, which led to widespread abuse and ultimately brought down the power-sharing agreement between Sinn Féin and the DUP. However, Norway’s crisis could have even greater consequences for the UK.  

 

 

The populist, Eurosceptic Centre Party, alongside other right-wing factions, has taken issue with the fact that Norwegians are being forced to pay higher prices for their own energy due to international demand for their hydropower. They are particularly outraged by EU directives that threaten Norway’s ability to reserve energy for domestic use or shield itself from an energy crisis. Their frustration is exacerbated by what they see as reckless decisions made by neighboring countries—especially Germany—which have only worsened the situation. With the Labour Party now left in charge without a functioning majority, Norway is heading for a general election no later than September, and current polling suggests a nationalist populist coalition is likely to take power.  

 

The UK faces a similarly precarious situation. Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, has pledged to decarbonize Britain’s power grid by 2030. Given the slow pace of nuclear power development, this will almost entirely rely on renewable sources, particularly offshore wind, along with a massive expansion of pylons to transport electricity. At the same time, the government has maintained a ban on domestic fracking, extended restrictions to new North Sea oil and gas projects, and removed legal protections for previously approved ventures like Rosebank.

 

These decisions not only undermine the UK’s energy security—since wind power is inherently intermittent—but also increase reliance on energy imports. At present, the only feasible solution to balance the grid during periods of low wind is to keep gas turbines on standby, ready to be fired up at enormous expense using imported gas, much of which comes from Norway via pipeline. While the electricity interconnector (NSL) between the UK and Norway has the capacity to power 1.4 million homes, it would be entirely useless if Norway decided to limit exports during critical low-wind periods. At present, it is electricity, rather than gas, that is most at risk of being withheld.

 

However, rising populism in energy policy is not about technology—it is about price. Norway’s vast North Sea wealth follows the same economic rules as its power supply: as global demand rises, prices increase. If Norway’s energy nationalism escalates, the UK’s next best option is liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments from the United States, which proved vital during the 2022 crisis. Yet, Donald Trump’s policy agenda prioritizes cheap fracked gas for American manufacturing over British energy needs, and this tension will only grow if Britain continues to emulate Germany’s failed energy policies under Angela Merkel.  

 

Other energy alternatives are even less reliable, and the risk extends beyond Norway and the US. If these trends continue, France and Belgium could also impose restrictions on energy exports, further isolating the UK. The next five years could see a catastrophic convergence of problems: stalled progress on renewables and nuclear power, capital and talent fleeing Aberdeen, mounting costs to keep aging gas plants operational, and skyrocketing import prices—assuming suppliers do not ban exports altogether.  

 

The warning signs are unmistakable, yet the UK’s response so far has been dangerously complacent. If Britain is to avoid a future where people sit in the dark, too poor to heat their homes, the government must act decisively and abandon its current energy trajectory before it is too late.

 

Based on a report by Daily Telegraph 2025-02-03

 

 

Again the old fairy tales told by Shell, Exxon aso.

Tell it as often you can untill people will believe it.

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Why am I not surprised? Sounds like something a government would do out of spite.

 

One could suspect I'm not a believer in the intelligence of politicians. However, this Starmer seems exceptionally stupid even by politician standards.

It was Thatcher that closed the mines and flooded them.

Didn't like miners or mining unions, so gone for good.

[Chomper Higgot]

23 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Then Britain will freeze this winter.

It needs to get a move on if it is going to do so.

 

It’s February already.

 

[connda]

It's fun to watch the Greenies self-implode, sorta like a hail storm destroying a solar farm or high winds ripping a wind turbine (running on diesel) apart.  Oh, and then like German?  Close all your nuclear power plants. This comedy is classic!  

[connda]

1 hour ago, Hummin said:

It is not an energy crises, it is a political crises. If we just built 10  gas power plants we could use our clean energy on our self, instead of exporting and empty our resources, so Eu and Uk look better on the emissions graphs. Pure stupidity and also making share holders rich. It used to be energy for people at cost price, but somehow somebody managed to f.ck us over with help of Eu deals, making other people rich. Same as 

the wind power plants, and solar panels they are forcing on us. 

Rightfully so, we all (the majority) will vote for the right wing party who promises to change everything, but really doesn’t change anything, because they where part of it from the beginning. 

 

Anyway, it is a political crisis, not energy problem for Norway

 

No politician on the planet works in the best interests of their citizens, they work in the best interests of the highest bidders: Oligarchs and corporations. The peons, plebs. and commoners be damned.

[Hummin]

1 minute ago, connda said:

No politician on the planet works in the best interests of their citizens, they work in the best interests of the highest bidders: Oligarchs and corporations. The peons, plebs. and commoners be damned.

You have to understand where we coming from, and how our lifes have improved by the years, and how we now easily manipulated will take the wrong decisions. 

 

I believe most politicians wants the best,.but unfortunate they get caught up in the game, and have to sell themselves for the popular vote, instead of what is actually important. Dont blaim the politicians æ, blaim the f. Stupid people who do the same mistakes over and over every election day

[Hummin]

The monthy python sketch about this, is every main center  oil installation in north sea have it own gas power plant to power every platform around them, now have to be shut down, cables being stretched from main land, and use dirty electricity from Europe, when we have exported our cheap almost free electricity down to europe. We produce electricity at one eurocent.

 

Read again, our cost price is one Euro cents kw. 

 

Stupidity at its best, and at the same time we sell our clean energy to the new Google plant for fixed price, and they want Norways clean energy, and not europe dirty energy, so,,,,,

 

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/google-buys-12-output-norwegian-071339791.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAABU7DGX9HFA_NLZJdMbVXlLJi8IY1VY8Z_RGkKOlutDqKHN_cT4GeOQT8DzC8sBUcy3MhPkWRmSR_AexiEHPkI68d0XKv3LrTnXBJcpPsASKHfwS0DZaNkhn-xS_P1g4LEFe4nlS-MPqpmYII6BN7GlsDLyYkWDrI3f0ZuXJcrSF