There has been a lot of talk about building more infrastructure between the North of Norway and the south. I personally don't think that it would make much difference except increase the prices in the north. The North of Norway produces about 17% of all the electricity in Norway in 2017 with about 10% of countries population. It's also colder for a lot longer up there. Ongoing joke: Missed the summer this year, had to go to the loo.

The latest news was that most of the excess capacity will be used up within the next few years because the oil and gas industry is mandated to connect their plattforms to the electrical grid instead of producing their own power from gas.

EU is not used as a scapegoat except for those who use EU as a scapegoat for everything - there's always someone.

The 'scapegoat', if you will, is the Acer contract - and that's not really a scapegoat, it's the real issue: Exports must continue until prices balances at both ends.

> some are using the EU as a scapegoat

What's the argument there? I'd think that since Norway isn't fully in the EU, they'd have more leeway in internal matters?

Norway is in the European Economic Area (EEA) which means that one strong party (EU) in that treaty dictates a lot of market rules for Norway.

It's questionable how much better transfer capacity would help prices (it would help the grid, though).

I think it's more true that the situation you are mentioning insulates northern Norway from continental prices, than the opposite.