Hydroelectricity of Norway
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About half of Norway’s 65,000 largest lakes are situated at elevations of at least 1,650 feet (500 metres); about one-fifth of the country lies 2,950 feet (900 metres) or more above sea level; and predominantly westerly winds create abundant precipitation. As a result, Norway has tremendous hydroelectric potential. It is estimated that almost one-third of that potential is economically exploitable, of which more than three-fifths had been developed by the end of the 20th century. Hydropower stations meet virtually all of Norway’s electrical consumption needs. At the beginning of the 21st century, Norway’s per capita production of hydroelectricity was the world’s highest, and renewable energy constituted more than three-fifths of the country’s total energy consumption. Deep in the Vestlandet fjords lie many of Norway’s largest smelting plants, constructed there to exploit the great hydroelectric resources of the region.
Electrometallurgy
A significant portion of the country’s production of electricity is utilized by its electrometallurgical industry, which is Europe’s largest producer of aluminum. Norway was also an important producer of magnesium until the early 21st century, when the country’s inability to compete effectively caused it to withdraw from the world market. In addition to being among the world’s leading exporters of metals, Norway is a significant producer of iron-based alloys. Europe’s largest deposit of ilmenite (titanium ore) is located in southwestern Norway. The country is among the world’s principal producers of olivine and an important supplier of nepheline syenite and dimension stone (particularly larvikite). Pyrites and small amounts of copper and zinc also are mined, and coal is mined on Svalbard.
Manufacturing
Mining and manufacturing (excluding petroleum activities) account for between one-fifth and one-fourth of Norway’s export earnings. Metals and engineering are the two main subgroups, each accounting for more than one-tenth of nonpetroleum exports. The level of petroleum-related investment is crucial for the engineering industry, which accounted for about one-third of the manufacturing workforce at the beginning of the 21st century. With the decline of traditional shipbuilding beginning in 1980, the importance of the production of equipment for the petroleum industry increased. Supply ships and semisubmersible drilling platforms are exported worldwide, and the Norwegian-designed Condeep production platforms (such as Troll A) are well suited to the rough seas off Norway’s shores.
The Østlandet region plays a particularly prominent role in mining and manufacturing. Stavanger is a leading industrial area in western Norway. Ålesund contains many engineering firms, and the bulk of Norway’s furniture industry is gathered on its rocky coast.
Finance
The Bank of Norway has all the usual functions of a central bank, and it also advises the government on the practical implementation of credit policy. Publicly financed banks give favourable loans to housing, industry, agriculture, and other economic sectors but share the credit market with savings banks, commercial banks, and insurance companies. In 1984 foreign banks were allowed to establish branches in Norway. The country’s financial system includes an active stock market. Norway’s currency is the krone.
As a result of the downturn in the Norwegian economy in the late 1980s, commercial banks experienced a crisis in 1991. Many of the largest became primarily government-owned as new capital was invested by the Government Bank Security Fund; the old shares were declared worthless. Critics argued that the crisis was worsened by new rules requiring that the depreciation of property be counted as a loss, even when the property was not sold. By the mid-1990s, however, the government-rescued banks had returned to profitability, and they were again privatized.
Trade
Foreign trade, in the form of commodities exported chiefly to western Europe or shipping services throughout the world, accounts for more than two-fifths of Norway’s national income. Norway’s booming petroleum industry has ensured a strong positive balance of payments for the national economy, despite some declines in the manufacturing and agricultural sectors. The great majority of Norway’s petroleum exports go to the nations of the European Union. Other important exports are machinery and transport equipment, metals and metal products, and fish.
Norway’s principal trading partners are the United Kingdom (which receives the largest portion of Norwegian exports), Germany, Sweden (which is the greatest contributor of imports to Norway), China, and the Netherlands. Principal imports include machinery, motor vehicles, ships, iron and steel, chemicals and chemical products, and food products, especially fruits and vegetables.
Services
The service sector grew by more than 60 percent over the last two decades of the 20th century. Norway is a popular tourist destination, especially for Germans, Swedes, and Danes, and the tourism industry employs more than 5 percent of the workforce. In addition, public-sector employment is high in comparison with most other industrialized countries: about three-tenths of all workers in Norway are employed in public-sector industries.