Elleverandør

Elleverandør is the retail electricity supplier in the Nordic liberalized electricity market. An elleverandør buys electricity on wholesale markets and sells it to end customers, handling contracts, billing, and customer service. The company does not own the high-voltage transmission grid or the local distribution network; those functions are carried out by the transmission system operator and the distribution grid operator. The elleverandør thus acts as the consumer-facing interface for electricity, including information about energy origin and contract terms.

In practice, customers in countries like Norway can choose among many elleverandører. Prices offered to consumers typically combine an energy price per kilowatt-hour, a grid tariff charged by the local distribution operator, and various taxes and fees. Some suppliers also offer green or renewable energy options, certificates, or specific sustainability claims. When a customer switches supplier, the change is coordinated by the new elleverandør, and the grid operator maintains continuity of supply and metering.

Wholesale and market structure underpinning the elleverandør system involves producers, traders, and the wholesale market (for example Nord Pool), with the end result regulated for reliability and consumer protection. Regulatory oversight is provided by national authorities such as the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) and the Norwegian Consumer Authority, with alignment to applicable EU energy directives. Consumers often evaluate an elleverandør based on price, contract terms, customer service, and transparency of energy mix rather than generation ownership.