As early as the next electricity bill, Norwegian households should receive state support for exceptionally high electricity prices, as Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre announced in Oslo. Specifically, the state takes over half of what exceeds a price of 70 Øre (around 0.07 euros) per kilowatt hour. The measure should therefore apply from December 2021 to March 2022. The government wants to submit a corresponding proposal to parliament as soon as possible.
“An extraordinary situation like this requires extraordinary measures,” said Støre. According to government figures, the direct cost of supporting electricity customers is estimated at five billion Norwegian kroner (almost 500 million euros).
Current data show that heating has become a luxury for many Austrian households too: around 130,000 households cannot afford to keep their homes adequately warm. This is the result of a survey carried out by Caritas, reports eXXpress.