Consortium of AFRY, Niras and Inuplan wins consultancy contract for Buksefjorden hydroelectric plant expansion
1 August 2023
A consortium comprising AFRY, NIRAS, and Inuplan has been selected to provide consultancy services for the expansion of Greenland's largest hydroelectric power plant, the Buksefjorden power station. The facility, which currently supplies electricity to the capital city Nuuk, will undergo significant improvements to meet the surging energy demands driven by the city's recent population growth.
The existing Buksefjorden hydroelectric station, established in 1993 and expanded with an additional turbine in 2008, is no longer sufficient to cope with the increasing energy requirements. In response to this pressing need, the consortium's proposed expansion plan involves the addition of two new units, a new cavern, and a tunnel system. A 16km-long transfer tunnel will be constructed to connect an additional lake, Lake Isortuarsuup Tasia, to the existing intake at Lake Kangerluarssunnguup Tasersua. This will substantially increase the available water volume from 352 to 1,248 million cubic meters.
The ownership of the project rests with the Greenlandic state company NunaGreen, in partnership with the national energy utility Nukissiorfiit, which will assume operations of the enhanced facility. The expansion is expected to escalate the production of clean energy from the current maximum of 255 GWh annually to an impressive future capacity of potentially 660 GWh.
As part of the consortium, AFRY will take on various responsibilities, including project management, tendering for the turnkey contract, project monitoring, site inspections, and expertise in technical disciplines such as tunnelling, technical installations, transmission, environmental considerations, plant construction, and buildings.
The anticipated completion date for the new segment of the hydroelectric plant is scheduled for early 2029, according to the current timetable.
