The plan for the Holsbru project is to build new feeder tunnels to direct water from Holsbru Lake and Rausdøla to the old power station at Tyin. This power plant has been out of service since 2004, when Hydro started up its new power station at Tyin.
Holsbru Lake and Rausdøla are lower than the water intake for the new Tyin power station, and the water from Holsbru Lake and Rausdøla is therefore not in use today.
By resuming production at two of the generators in the old Tyin power station, Hydro will increase production by 84GWh, with the total power production from Tyin exceeding 1600GWh.
The Holsbru project got the green light from the Norwegian authorities in the fall of 2008, but Norsk Hydro put the project on hold when demand for aluminium fell dramatically during the financial crisis. The company expect to invest NOK 200-250M in the project.
In addition to Holsbru, the company has applied for a concession to build a power plant at Øyane and a pump power plant at Ilvatn, both in the Fortun Valley in Sogn.
The two plants will deliver 98 and 113GWh, respectively
At Ilvatn, the company plans to build a pumping power station that will pump water from the company’s reservoir in Fivlemyrane to Ilvatn, where it also has reservoirs for power production. In addition, ito plans to increase reservoir capacity in Ilvatn from 50 to 140Mm3 by building a new tapping tunnel and to reduce the lowest regulated water level.
By pumping water that otherwise would be wasted in the summer to Ilvatn, it can reduce the loss of water in the Fortun system. In addition, the company can use this water to produce electricity during the winter so that total production in Fortun would be increased by 113GWh.
If all goes according to plan, Hydro will start work at Ilvatn in 2012. Production from the new plant could then in summer 2015.
At Øyane, the company plans to build a new power plant that will use water supplies from three existing plants. The power station will be built inside the mountain and will utilize the fall in a remote stretch of river.
The construction works on the Øyane power station are expected to start in summer 2012 and will be finalized in summer 2014.
Norsk Hydro is Norway’s second-largest producer of hydro power, with an average power production of 9.4 TWh per year. Its goal is to increase hydro production by 10% in the next few years.
