Cold weather throughout Sweden has caused river icing, affecting hydro power and a reduction in wind power.
Freezing temperatures are reducing the potential generation from river-based hydropower and wind power in Sweden this week.
This is an annual weather phenomenon that occurs when the first stable period of freezing temperatures occurs in the winter season. This could lead to significantly higher prices in the northernmost price zones next week: SE1, SE2, NO3 and NO4.
According to a UMM from this afternoon, the ice-covering of Lule älv, Sweden’s largest hydropower system, will start on Saturday for an unknown duration (the process normally takes 4-6 days). As a result, production capacity will be reduced by up to 1500 MW during this period.
We expect the hydropower producers in numerous other river systems to issue ice cover messages via UMMs in the coming days if cold conditions persist.
Five wind farms in northern Sweden (SE1+SE2) experienced icing-related operational problems for shorter periods during this week. The icing-related problems are expected to affect the wind farms in the northernmost price zones also in the coming week.
