Source - Konsultrapport Normvärdeslista 2024-2027 Sweco (2022)
Document: Förslag normvärdeslista 2024–2027, Sweco Sverige AB, 2022-11-15. Commissioned by Energimarknadsinspektionen (Ei).
Source type: Consultant report (Ei procurement — input to RP4 regulatory methodology)
Purpose
Sweco was commissioned by Ei to propose an updated normvärdeslista (unit price list) for the 2024–2027 regulatory period. The normvärdeslistan is the standard method (normvärdering) for valuing DSO grid assets in the capital base (kapitalbas), used in Ei’s revenue cap regulation since 2012.
The assignment had two parts:
- Del 1: Structural analysis — are new normkoder needed, or should existing ones be modified?
- Del 2: Price levels — update normpriser for all codes
What the normvärdeslista is
The normvärdeslistan assigns a replacement cost unit price (nuanskaffningsvärde) to each category of grid asset. When a DSO reports its capital base to Ei, the default valuation method is to multiply the quantity of each asset type by its normvärde. This gives Ei a standardized, asset-by-asset replacement cost for the entire DSO network — the basis for calculating capital costs in the revenue cap.
The normvärdeslista covers eight asset categories, each handled by a specialist expert team at Sweco:
| Category | Coverage |
|---|---|
| Högspänningskablar | High-voltage cables (underground) |
| Elkraftstationer | Power substations (all voltage levels) |
| Kontrollutrustning, kommunikation | Control equipment — communication |
| Kontrollutrustning, reläskydd | Control equipment — relay protection |
| Lokalnät, stadsnät (≤24 kV) | Local grid — urban |
| Lokalnät, landsbygd (≤24 kV) | Local grid — rural |
| Regionnätsledningar (≥36 kV) | Regional grid overhead lines |
| Mätare | Meters (smart meters) |
Price methodology (Del 2)
Base indexation: Current normvärden were in 2018 prices. Sweco indexed to 2021 prices using byggkostnadsindex (construction cost index):
- 2018 index: 4,549 → 2021 index: 5,023 → +10.42% increase
Final target: Prices in the normvärdeslistan for RP4 should be in 2022 prices. However, 2022 was not yet complete at the time of the report (October 2022), and the year was noted as exceptional (Ukraine war, component shortages, energy price shock) making indexation complex. Sweco included a recommendation on how to handle the 2022 indexation separately.
Benchmark reference: The industry’s EBR (ElByggnadsRationalisering) cost catalog system (published by Energiföretagen Sverige) was used as a benchmark. EBR’s KLG 1:22 and KLG 2:22 catalogs provide market cost references for planning and construction of distribution assets.
Labor cost reference (2022 rates):
| Role | Timlön | Lönebikostnad | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montör | 196 kr | 140 kr | 336 kr/h |
| Beredare | 226 kr | 177 kr | 403 kr/h |
Structural changes (Del 1): Sweco’s approach was to preserve the existing structure where possible, as DSOs have adapted their IT systems to the current normkoder since 2012. Major restructuring would disrupt historical comparability. Structural changes were therefore limited to genuinely necessary additions or corrections.
Relevance to wider revenue regulation
The normvärdeslistan is the operational instrument that makes the kapacitetsbevarande (replacement cost) capital valuation method real. Every four years, Ei commissions a new normvärdeslista update. The 2024–2027 list was the subject of the RP4 version discussed in Source - Ei Handbok Intäktsram 2024-2027 (2023).
The ongoing debate about switching to förmögenhetsbevarande (historical cost) valuation — as recommended by Source - Konsultrapport Avkastningsmetoder Elnät Montell och Partners (2024) and Source - Konsultrapport Return on Investment Elnät DFC Economics (2024) — would fundamentally change the normvárdeslista’s role. Under förmögenhetsbevarande, assets would be valued at historical acquisition cost rather than current replacement cost, eliminating the need for the normvärdeslista as the primary valuation instrument.
Also referenced in Source - FlexAbility Delrapport 3 (2025), which uses average transformer upgrade costs (drawn from normvärdes-based figures) as a benchmark for DSO flexibility procurement cost-effectiveness.
Relevance to wiki topics
- Ei: Core regulatory instrument for revenue cap — the normvärden are what Ei uses to determine allowed capital costs
- Distribution Network Development Plan: Investment cost estimates in DNDPs are typically based on the same normvärden, making them directly comparable to Ei’s capital base valuations
- DSO Flexibility Valuation — Methods and Swedish Evidence: The transformer cost table in FlexAbility Delrapport 3 (avg 1.09 MSEK/MW, range 331 kSEK–4.51 MSEK/MW) implicitly draws on normvärdes-based cost data
- Source - Ei Inriktning intäktsramar 2028-2031 (2025): RP5 may eliminate normvärdering as the primary method if förmögenhetsbevarande is adopted