Advertisement

Today in Denmark For Members

Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Thursday

Elizabeth Anne Brown
Elizabeth Anne Brown - [email protected]
Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Thursday
There may not be an official election date on the books, but speculation that prime minister Mette Frederiksen may call an election soon is enough to have Copenhagen's buses wrapped in political ads. Photo: Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix

Why your local bakery could be in jeopardy, the parties pushing for more energy aid, and nixed ice rinks are among the top news stories in Denmark on Thursday.

Advertisement

It's all about the energy crisis in Danish news these days. Here's the latest. 

Support parties say government energy plan doesn't go far enough 

At a Wednesday press conference, prime minister Mette Frederiksen presented a plan to allow consumers to pay excess energy bills over the course of up to five years. 

“This means that if the price of electricity, gas or district heating exceeds the price from last autumn, 2021, then you will be able to postpone payment of the excess amount to a later date, spread over several years,” she said.

Advertisement

Support parties the Social Liberals (De Radikale) and the Socialist People's Party (Socialistisk Folkeparti, or SF) approve of the plan but insist direct financial support is urgently needed. 

"It's a bit like a Panodil in a situation where penicillin is needed and a stronger cure for the situation we are in," Martin Lidegaard, deputy chairman of the Social Liberals, tells newswire Ritzau. 

"Our suggestion is to raise the green cheque, give them an extra tax deduction, which can be a real help — instead of the poorest getting into debt that they cannot pay," says Søren Egge Rasmussen, energy and supply commissioner for the Red-Green Alliance, another supporting party. 

READ MORE: Denmark presents plan to allow delayed payment of large energy bills 

Bakeries crumble under energy crunch

Currently, every week in Denmark sees another bakery or two turn off its ovens for good, industry association Bakery and Pastry Masters in Denmark tells broadcaster DR

"If the development we have seen in the last two months continues, we fear that we will loose 20-25 more bakery shops before Christmas," says organisation CEO Henrik Mühlendorph.

It's a "perfect storm" for bakers, Mühlendorph explains — ballooning energy prices coupled with more expensive grain and butter  grains makes for a "deadly" combination. 

EU proposal caps profits for fossil fuels — and green energy 

The EU Commission hopes to fund energy relief projects for private consumers by capping the profits for energy companies, including green energy such as wind and solar.

Green energy associations say it's an unfair hit for an industry that should be encouraged, while an Aalborg professor of energy planning sees the measure as reasonable. 

"The proposal will undermine the green transition when the incentive for investments in wind turbines and solar cells is reduced," Lasse Hamilton Heidemann, EU and international head at the Danish Chamber of Commerce (Dansk Erhverv), told Ritzau. 

Aalborg University's Brian Vad Mathiesen describes a possible price cap on renewables "unfortunate" but necessary, Ritzau reports. "According to this proposal, there will still be a large profit for renewable energy," he says. According to Reuters, wind, solar, and nuclear energy companies would see revenue caps of 180 euros per megawatt hour of energy.

READ MORE: Why Denmark's climate targets make electricity network a soft spot for hackers

Advertisement

Municipalities nix ice rinks 

Middelfart, Esbjerg and Aarhus have chosen to forego their outdoor ice skating rinks this winter to save on energy costs, according to Ritzau. 

"Such an ice rink is an expensive pleasure. Especially this year, when the heat is turned down, we want to send a political signal," says Jakob Lose, chairman of the culture and leisure commission in Esbjerg. 

Lose explains that an outdoor ice rink typically racks up 30,000 kilowatt-hours over a season, while the average Danish household uses 4,500 kilowatt-hours in an entire year. 

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also