From generator to your socket

A kWh used in Malmö may have been made one second ago at a hydro plant 1,500 km away in Norrland. The trip goes through several voltage levels and three different operators. We are going to walk the trip, then explain why your bill always has two parts.

The journey, grouped into three stages

flowchart TB
    subgraph S1["Stage 1, make it"]
        A([River, reactor, wind, sun])
        B([Generator<br/>around 20 kV])
        A --> B
    end

    subgraph S2["Stage 2, ship it long distance"]
        C([Step up<br/>20 kV to 400 kV])
        D([400 kV line<br/>hundreds of km])
        E([Step down<br/>400 kV to 130 kV])
        C --> D --> E
    end

    subgraph S3["Stage 3, deliver it locally"]
        F([Local lines<br/>20 kV, then 400 V])
        G([Your meter<br/>230 V or 400 V])
        H([Coffee maker])
        F --> G --> H
    end

    S1 --> S2 --> S3

    style A fill:#dcfce7,stroke:#15803d,color:#14532d
    style B fill:#dcfce7,stroke:#15803d,color:#14532d
    style C fill:#fef3c7,stroke:#a16207,color:#713f12
    style D fill:#fef3c7,stroke:#a16207,color:#713f12
    style E fill:#fef3c7,stroke:#a16207,color:#713f12
    style F fill:#fef3c7,stroke:#a16207,color:#713f12
    style G fill:#dbeafe,stroke:#1e40af,color:#1e3a8a
    style H fill:#dbeafe,stroke:#1e40af,color:#1e3a8a

Why three stages? Because each stage is run by a different kind of company.

One TSO for the whole country. Around 170 DSOs across Sweden. You cannot pick your DSO. It is set by where you live.

Three operators, three different jobs

Most newcomer confusion in Sweden comes from mixing up these roles.

flowchart TB
    P([Producer<br/>makes the power<br/>Vattenfall, Fortum, OX2, ...])
    T([TSO, Svenska kraftnät<br/>runs the 400 kV grid<br/>keeps the system balanced])
    D([DSO<br/>runs the local wires<br/>delivers power to your meter])
    R([Retailer, elhandelsföretag<br/>sells you a contract<br/>owns no wires, no plants<br/>Tibber, Bixia, Greenely, ...])

    P --> T
    T --> D
    D --> Y([You])
    R -.->|contract| Y

    style P fill:#dcfce7,stroke:#15803d,color:#14532d
    style T fill:#fef3c7,stroke:#a16207,color:#713f12
    style D fill:#fef3c7,stroke:#a16207,color:#713f12
    style R fill:#fed7aa,stroke:#c2410c,color:#7c2d12
    style Y fill:#dbeafe,stroke:#1e40af,color:#1e3a8a

Same parent brand can wear different hats. Vattenfall shows up as a producer (operates Forsmark), a DSO (Vattenfall Eldistribution), and a retailer (Vattenfall Sälj). Swedish law keeps these as legally separate companies under the same parent, so the wire business cannot favour the contract business.

Why your bill has two halves

The same kWh is billed twice, once by the retailer and once by the DSO.

flowchart TB
    K([One kWh used at your house])

    K --> N([Network half, nätavgift<br/>paid to the DSO<br/>same whoever your retailer is])
    K --> E([Energy half, spot × kWh + påslag<br/>paid to your retailer<br/>changes if you switch retailer])

    style K fill:#dcfce7,stroke:#15803d,color:#14532d
    style N fill:#fef3c7,stroke:#a16207,color:#713f12
    style E fill:#fed7aa,stroke:#c2410c,color:#7c2d12

The state then adds energiskatt and 25 percent moms on top.

Three simple rules for everyday life.

• Power outage? Call the DSO. They own the wire.
• Bill looks wrong? Call the retailer. They sold you the contract.
• Want to switch supplier? Switch the retailer. The DSO stays the same.

One kWh, traced

Walk through one kWh used in a Lund apartment on a Wednesday evening.

1. Made by a Vattenfall hydro plant in Jämtland.
2. Sent south on Svenska kraftnät’s 400 kV grid through SE2, SE3, then into SE4.
3. Stepped down through an E.ON regional substation, 130 kV down to 20 kV.
4. Travelled the last few hundred metres on E.ON’s local 400 V wire.
5. Past the meter, into the lamp.
6. Billed by Tibber for the spot price plus their påslag.
7. Billed by E.ON Distribution (a separate legal company) for the nätavgift.
8. Energiskatt and moms added.

One kWh. Five companies. Two bills.

Next

The path uses 400 kV in the middle and 230 V at home. Time to see why. See Why we ship power at high voltage.