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Case: Nordic cooperation
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Case: Nordic cooperation
The Nordic power system is the most integrated in Europe. The single electricity market consists of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Iceland is also a part of the Nordic cooperation, but is not interconnected with the other countries. The interconnection of the power systems makes the countries mutually dependent, and so cooperation between the nations is of utmost importance to securing power supply.
With the exception of Denmark, the Nordic countries are situated far to the north in harsh climatic conditions. Populations often live in small communities widely spread over large areas. Living in modern society, their dependence on an uninterrupted electricity supply is of major importance. This fact, together with the climatic conditions, set strict requirements regarding reliable and smoothly functioning power systems. As consumption
is higher than production, the Nordic nations as a whole are net importers of electrical energy from neighbouring countries.
Formalizing cooperation
The energy authorities and the transmission system operators in the Nordic countries - Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden
and Iceland - meet regularly in regard to contingency planning and crisis management in the Nordic power sectors and cooperate in a number of ways in order to make improvements. This cooperation has been formalized in a Letter of Intent signed by the Nordic authorities and transmission system operators. The Letter of Intent was significantly revised in 2007.
Cooperation is important for crisis management of the electricity supply. Such cooperation can take many forms such as information-sharing, understanding each other’s systems, capabilities and vulnerabilities, identification of problems of mutual interest and joint projects. It can also include joint crisis management mechanisms, and standardisation of e.g. equipment and methodologies.
Improving preparedness
As part of this cooperation, a report has been prepared on “Nordic Contingency Planning and Crisis Management” with the aim of describing the organisation of the power system in the Nordic area, the disposable resources and how preparedness across national borders can be improved.
Related article: What makes technology eco-efficient?
Collaboration and partnerships between companies, universities, research institutions and public authorities is crucial to the development of new eco-efficient technologies.
How stable is your energy supply?
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