Tag: Ygeman

Ringhals 1 nuclear power station restarts

Ringhals 1 to be started up to secure electricity supply
pic: wikipedia.se

Electricity – it’s cost, where it comes from, who produces it and where – is a heated and complicated subject. The topic has been touched upon in this blog earlier (here, here, here and even here), but it’s time for an update because nuclear power plant Ringhals 1 is being started up.

Ringhals 1 closed in April per usual, and wasn’t expected to be started up ever again due to regulations enacted in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. (Ringhals 2 was closed last year.) Although many people were pleased by this decision, businesses and government officials have been more concerned. A stable and powerful electricity grid is considered by most people a requirement for a responsible running of the country. When Pågen bakery decided not to open a plant in Malmö last year, due to the fact that the city couldn’t guarantee a steady supply of power, people became alarmed.

Anders Ygeman is often all over the airwaves saying Sweden produces more energy than it uses. Although that may indeed be the case over the course of a year, it doesn’t mean that everyone (like hospitals, factories, houses in the dead of winter…) gets their energy needs met when they need them. A few recent headlines paint another picture: A few here, for reference:

It doesn’t look good. But back to Ringhals 1. It was closed, it was likely to stay closed until the end of the year, and then start the long dismantling process. But a press release from Vattenfall, and a notice from the Swedish power net (Kraftnät) on June 18th said something else, namely that they’re starting up Ringhals 1 and have a contract to run it to at least September 15th. “…the electricity grid needs a significant proportion of planned electricity generation that does not fluctuate with rain or wind” said Torbjörn Wahlsborg, Senior executive vice president at Vattenfall. “[…] we are happy to be able to make an extra effort for grid stability.”

So is everyone else that requires electricity.

20 Jan. – the Swedish postal service gets a no

going the way of the phone booth?
pic: Hallandsposten.se

Minister for the Interior Anders Ygeman said no today to Postnord’s request to have three days, not two, in which to get domestic mail from one part of Sweden to another, DN reports. The Swedish postal service is in crisis mode – see this post.

Formal approval from the government is still needed, but Postnord has already received permission from the the Post and Telecom Authority (Post- och Telestyrelsen) to deliver mail to people’s residences only every other day (instead of every day). However, this won’t be helpful unless it is also allowed to take three days to move the letter to where it can be delivered. This second part got a cold no.

What Postnord did get, was the promise of a formal inquiry – slated to take 18 months to complete. “A postal service inquiry is needed to see if this is the best way” Ygeman said. “I have to attend to what is best for citizens and the needs of customers.”

As their mail delivery service is used less and less, Postnord is expected to be billions of kronor in the red in only a few years.

Thurs. 13/8 – touchy at the top

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg and
Swedish minister Anders Ygeman
pic: sverigesradio.se

Things got a little prickly after the Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg mentioned something along the lines of “you sure hear a lot of Swedish at those far-right extremist marches here in Norway.” Anders Ygeman, Minister for Energy and Digital Development and also Stefan Lofven’s right hand man, had his grade-school level response ready – basically “Oh yeah? Well, right back at you” ().

Ok, to be more exact, he said “sure, yes to Norwegian-Swedish cooperation, but when you’re talking about a government that works with the [far-right] Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet), and who has twice appointed Sylvi Listhaug as minister, maybe you should look in the mirror before looking over the border.”

It actually sounds a little cleverer in English, but is it really a good idea to lash out at your closest neighbour and call them names? It’s debatable. Sylvi Listhaug is pretty deplorable, no question, but Ygeman’s outburst was surprisingly puerile. Instead of taking the debate in an adult manner and actually being receptive to joining forces, he basically poked them with a stick. That isn’t the way to make friends and influence people. Maybe he had a bad day. We all have them, but we all aren’t so near to being Swedish prime minister, so not same-same.

More and better Swedish-Norwegian cooperation on meeting far-right extremism would be a great thing. Particularly because – guess who’s already cooperating? Swedish and Norwegian far-right extremists.

Sat. 27/7 – Sweden agrees to disagree

Minister for Energy and Digital Development, Anders Ygeman
pic: svd.se

SvD.se reports today that the Swedish government is ready to go against the EU when it comes to regulating electricity companies. As reported earlier in this blog, and indeed it comes up repeatedly in Swedish news, the cost of electricity has rocketed upwards in large parts of this generally cold and snowy/rainy country.

In a perfect world, electricity prices should only rise when the income is needed for improvements in the electricity infrastructure. However, this has not happened, says the government: Prices have gone up but the infrastructure has not been improved upon. Furthermore, Minister for Energy and Digital Development Anders Ygeman says, while electricity companies can have a reasonable profit, they shouldn’t be able to profit at the expense of the consumer (). Therefore, the government wants their Swedish Energy Markets Inspectorate ( it’s less of a mouthful in Swedish – “energimarknadsinspektion”) to regulate it more, and presumably better.

Here’s where it gets tricky: The EU says no. According to the EU Commission, the government’s proposals go too far and too much against the EU’s energy market directive.

Sweden doesn’t agree (and neither does Germany, who wants to regulate its electricity companies more too). For its part, Sweden is going ahead with its new regulations, which are to take effect starting 2020. Lucky electricity consumers who have been hit hard by price increases can hope for up to a 20% cut in their elecricity bill.

Stay tuned for the EU’s response to these crazy rebels.