As many as 56% of Swedes are worried about electricity prices in the winter, according to a new survey by electricity trading company Nordic Green Energy.
The greatest concern is in electricity zone 4, i.e. Skåne and Kalmar County, where 66% are worried about the winter. The least worried are those in electricity zone 3, Stockholm, Örebro and Dalarna counties, where a large number of people – 54 percent – are worried.
Björn Visell, Business Area Manager Business and Public Sector at Nordic Green Energy, predicts that the concerns may be justified.
– It is difficult to know for sure, but if there is a cold winter, there is a fairly high risk that electricity prices will be high again this year, he says.
During the summer, despite the problems with nuclear power and even the occasional lack of wind, electricity prices were low, at least compared to last year’s record prices. 50 öre per kilowatt hour (kWh) was the average price in August in southern Sweden, power zone 4, according to the Nord Pool power exchange.
Johan Sigvardsson, power price analyst at electricity trading company Bixia, says in a comment to leading Swedish news agency TT that he believes this could continue into the winter, pointing to the fact that gas stocks in Europe are well filled and that French nuclear power is operating better than last year.
– Europe’s overall energy balance is much stronger than last year. All the parameters have changed for the better, he says.
At the moment, the forecasts show prices below one krona per kWh for the first quarter, but the forecasts can change quickly if there are problems with nuclear power, for example.
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US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Richard Grenell, has traveled to Switzerland on several occasions to negotiate the possible reactivation of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, reports German newspaper Bild, citing sources with knowledge of the matter.
Nord Stream 2, intended to complement the already operational Nord Stream 1, was completed in 2021 but never put into operation. In September 2022, the pipelines were subjected to a series of underwater explosions, leading to serious leaks and impacting European energy supplies.
A section of the pipeline is still intact and filled with gas, but Germany has refrained from using it for political reasons.
According to the report, the deal would provide economic benefits to the US if gas flows resume after a potential ceasefire in Ukraine and a lifting of sanctions.
Richard Grenell was previously ambassador to Berlin during Trump’s first term, and is now his specific envoy for “special missions”.
According to Bild, Grenell made several unofficial trips to Nord Stream’s operator in Zug, Switzerland, to negotiate a deal.
Trump’s Envoy for Special Assignments Richard Grenell has been to Switzerland multiple times to discuss the resumption of Russian gas exports to Germany via the mothballed Nord Stream 2 undersea pipeline, German newspaper Bild reported on Sunday. ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/6cVe76QTG6
— Novaya Gazeta Europe (@novayagazeta_en) March 3, 2025
American investors
During his first term, Trump was critical of Nord Stream 2 and also imposed sanctions on the project. However, since taking office in his second, current term, he has pushed for closer relations between the US and Russia and hinted at possible easing of trade restrictions.
According to reports, US investors would prevent the bankruptcy of Nord Stream 2 by buying a stake in the company. They would act as intermediaries for the delivery of Russian gas to Germany and Central Europe via the pipeline.
In addition, Washington would gain significant influence over Germany’s energy supply, according to Bild, which stresses that the US government would not be directly involved, but that US financial players planned to participate in the deal.
According to Bild, the German government has not been involved in the reported talks, and sources in Berlin say they were unaware of Richard Grenell’s meetings in Switzerland. Grenell himself has denied any involvement.
Meanwhile, the Financial Times stated on Sunday that the talks were allegedly brokered by Matthias Warnig, former chief executive of the Switzerland-based Nord Stream 2 operator.
The Financial Times further claimed that one of the US-led consortia has already drawn up a plan for a deal with Russia’s energy giant Gazprom. A deal they say could be finalized after sanctions against Moscow are lifted.
The Baltic countries have recently disconnected from the Russian electricity grid and joined the European system.Electricity prices in the countries are now skyrocketing.
Over the weekend, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania disconnected from the Russian grid and connected to the grid in Finland, Sweden and Poland. Shortly afterwards, electricity prices rose sharply, Euronews reports.
Last week, the price of electricity in Estonia stood at €126 per MWh. After the switch, it has risen to €191 per MWh, the highest recorded so far in 2025.
However, the Estonian electricity and gas network operator says that the price increase is mainly due to weather conditions and the market situation.
“Less wind this week, higher electricity consumption due to colder weather and a slight increase in gas price”, it states.
Gas prices have reached record levels on the Dutch TTF market in recent years, but are expected to fall. Meanwhile, the Lithuanian-Swedish Estlink 2 submarine cable has recently been damaged by an anchor, which has negatively affected electricity prices.
Yesterday, electricity prices in southern Sweden were at times 18,000% higher than in central Sweden – because there was no wind in Germany.
Economy reporter Andreas Cervenka notes that Swedish electricity customers have been overcharged by more than SEK 300 billion (€26 billion) via their electricity bills, and says the Swedish electricity market is “starting to look like a very failed joke”.
“Anyone living in Malmö or “Electricity Area 4”, which is apparently this nation’s new name, can expect to pay just over SEK 31, including VAT, for a ten-minute shower at five o’clock today,” he writes in the tabloid Aftonbladet, while seeing how electricity customers in Sundsvall only have to pay SEK 0.17 for the same shower.
“That’s a price difference of 184 times or 18,000%.In addition, there are various fees, so it’s actually even more expensive.It’s as if Malmö residents were to pay SEK 3,700 for a liter of milk and Sundsvall residents a twenty.Where is this even going?” he asks.
According to observers and analysts, it’s Germany’s fault, and they are extremely dependent on wind power. When there is no wind there, Sweden is instead drained of electricity via the export cables, and electricity becomes more expensive here at home.
“A proof of poverty”
Cervenka points out that the mechanisms behind electricity prices are very confusing and that the soaring electricity prices have made Swedes sit down and Google the current day’s or hour’s prices before turning on the shower, for example
“Somewhat of a proof of poverty, you might say, for one of the world’s richest countries, which last year actually produced more electricity than we used.The difference was quite large, as much as 28 terawatt-hours, according to the Swedish Energy Agency, which corresponds to 5.6 billion ten-minute showers, for those who are wondering”, he states.
Andreas Cervenka. Photo: faksimil/AB/YT
In the past, policymakers have blamed the extreme price differences on a lack of transmission capacity in the electricity grids, and EU directives recently introduced the new “flowbased” model, which was supposed to make more efficient use of the electricity grids.
Analysts and experts were critical of the new model and warned that prices would soar further – and by all accounts, they were right.
“A masterless grid monopoly”
According to electricity market analyst Bengt Ekenstierna, the Swedish electricity market will be even more closely linked to Germany than before, and he is saddened that Swedish politicians seem to have abandoned all attempts to influence other EU countries’ views on the electricity market.
“It is the duty of every politician to put their fist on the table and work to change when applied EU regulations lead to such effects as it has had on the electricity market in Sweden over the past 3 years.Electricity customers have been overcharged by more than SEK 300 billion via their electricity bills”, he states in a newsletter.
“… and that doesn’t even account for the 100 billion in overcharges occurring through skyrocketing and uncontrolled electricity grid fees from a masterless grid monopoly”, he continues.
300 billion is a sum so large that it is difficult to grasp, according to Cervenka, who concludes by announcing that he will take a “long, expensive shower” and try to forget what he just read.
The Swedish Homeowners’ Owners Association (Villaägarnas Riksförbund) is now calling on its members to protest against Sweden’s exorbitant energy costs.
In recent years, electricity prices have risen sharply in Sweden and many households have found it difficult to pay their electricity bills. Before last winter, more than half of Swedes were worried about how they would afford to pay for their electricity.
Now the Swedish Homeowners’ Association has decided to protest against the country’s energy market and is urging its members to share how it has affected them.
– Enough is enough!Sweden’s energy market is fundamentally broken and politicians need to hear the people’s dissatisfaction and address the problems – once and for all, says Cecilia Reuter, President of the Swedish Homeowners’ Association, in a press release.
The aim of the protest is to show the consequences of the current energy market. Hundreds of stories have been received from the organization’s members who, among other things, testify to how they are forced to freeze when they can no longer afford to heat their homes.
“Something is very wrong”
“I won’t be able to afford heating at home if prices go up.Even last winter I had to turn down the heating and dress warmly to try to keep costs down.Should my daughter have to sleep in overalls so that I can afford both food and electricity?”, writes Mikael from Enköping, for example.
“We have 15–16 degrees indoors in winter. During the summer, we can’t afford to replace anything for heating the house because all the money has to be saved to survive the coming winter. When taxes are higher than the cost of electricity itself, it affects the food on the table, and the children have to walk on cold floors – that’s when something is very wrong”, says Emil from Härnösand.
In January, all the stories will be printed and placed on the desk of Energy Minister Ebba Busch.
– As Energy Minister, Ebba Busch is ultimately responsible for Sweden’s energy market.It is no good blaming previous governments or hiding behind EU directives.Voters are suffering under the pressure of a wild and unpredictable energy market.Please act, Ebba! says Reuter.
The Swedish Homeowners' Owners Association (Villaägarna Riksförbund) is a non-profit consumer and interest organization for residents and owners of detached houses, i.e. villas and holiday homes.
The organization also has a business area, Samfällheterna, which offers security agreements with help, support and insurance to community associations.
In 2023, The Swedish Homeowners' Owners Association had 230 000 member households.
