Dvergfossen Power Plant Opened

On 13 September, Kvinesdal basked in sunshine under a cloudless sky, and one would have thought the conditions for the official opening of Dvergfossen power plant were perfect. But for owner Clemens kraft and others in the power industry, rain is the most welcome thing. The recent spell of fine weather has resulted in little water in the river, and the water that does come is reserved for everything large and small that has the river habitat as its home and source of food. The power plant must wait for wetter days.

Energy in motion

Weather and water levels are continuously monitored remotely from Dalane kraft's operations centre. When the next rain shower has filled the Litleåne River, the water intake is opened for part of the river. The water drops 50 metres through a 450-metre-long tunnel, causing the two Francis turbines in the power station to spin. With both turbines operating, up to 9.2 MW of green energy is fed into the power grid, enough energy for approximately 1,500 households.

The mild winters in Southern Norway provide good power production at Dvergfossen power plant when demand is greatest and prices are at their highest. On an annual basis, Clemens kraft expects the power plant to produce 31.2 GW/h.

Clemens kraft owns Dvergfossen power plant and 51 other so-called small-scale power plants throughout Norway, which produce slightly more than 720 GW/h of clean, renewable energy. This corresponds to the consumption of 36,000 households and represents a significant contribution to the green transition. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration's Fund is the majority owner of Clemens kraft.