How Norway will ensure more flexible power

Norwegians have never used more electricity than in 2021, and when society and industry are to be electrified, we will need even more.

At the same time, we are in the middle of several crises; the energy crisis in Europe as a result of the war in Ukraine, and climate changes bringing more extreme weather with heat, drought, torrential rain and floods. We are also experiencing major fluctuations in price, production and consumption in the electricity market. How are we going to deal with all this?

"One solution to all these challenges is more power; renewable and flexible power," says Birgitte Ringstad Vartdal, executive vice president in Statkraft with responsibility for the Nordic region.

Statkraft is already the largest producer of renewable power in Europe. Most of this power is Norwegian hydropower, which has laid the foundation for green industry, a secure power supply and the development of one of the most electrified countries in the world.

"The large hydropower reservoirs are the very backbone of Norway’s power supply, supported by the energy exchange opportunities with neighbouring countries that provide backup in dry years when we are not self-sufficient. Nevertheless, we must ensure that we also have enough power in the future, and that means continued development of renewable energy," says Vartdal.

"To achieve this we must invest more in hydropower and other technologies such as offshore wind."

A renaissance for Norwegian hydropower

If the Mauranger project at the Folgefonna glacier is implemented, it could increase annual power production by 70-80 GWh, equivalent to the electricity consumption of 5 000 households.

It may not sound like much, but Statkraft is planning for a drastic increase in installed capacity: from 250 MW to 880 MW. Because Norway needs not only more energy, but also more flexibility. This can be achieved by increasing the plant's total installed capacity.

It is important to be able to produce more electricity quickly when many people want to use electricity at the same time, for example on the coldest winter day or during the morning rush hour. The power plant can also stand idle when a lot of power is available from other energy sources, without the risk of water being wasted.

Mauranger hydropower plant in Kvinnherad Municipality in Vestland County will be Norway's third-largest in terms of power. Statkraft has not submitted a licence application for a hydropower project this large for 40 years.

Low-impact renewable projects

While the Mauranger project is a few years away, other new facilities have already seen the light of day, including the Vesle Kjela and Storlia hydropower plants on opposite sides of the Hardangervidda plateau. Here, Statkraft has built two new power plants in existing waterways. In total, the two plants will produce electricity equivalent to the annual consumption of 4000 households without any major impact on nature.

In the period from 2005 to 2021, Statkraft invested more than NOK 20 billion in Norwegian hydropower. This resulted in an annual increase in power production of 1.5 TWh, which corresponds to roughly the annual consumption of 90,000 Norwegian households and constitutes around a four-per-cent increase in Statkraft's Norwegian hydropower production.

"The projects demonstrate Statkraft's clear commitment to hydropower in Norway. Hydropower's unique ability to deliver energy and power when needed makes it the flexible backbone of the Norwegian and Nordic power system. Our ambition is to develop five new hydropower projects in Norway by 2030. Mauranger is one of them," says Vartdal.