Statkraft opens new Nedre Røssåga

Today Statkraft opens Nedre Røssåga hydropower station in Nordland after an extensive renovation and expansion. The power station is now among Norway’s largest and will produce 2.15 TWh of electricity per year, equivalent to 1.6 percent of Norway’s total generation.

The opening is done by State Secretary Kjell Borge Freiberg (MPE) and CEO Christian Rynning-Tønnesen.

Nedre Røssåga hydropower station, which became operational in the 1950s, is located in Hemnes municipality and utilizes the head between Stormyrbassenget and Korgen. The power station is fully owned by Statkraft.

Refurbishment and expansion began in spring 2012 and is among the largest hydropower projects in Norway in the 2000s. Trial operation has been underway since late July to August.

The total capacity in Nedre Røssåga has increased from 250 MW to 350 MW. Total annual generation increases by approximately 200 GWh to about 2,150 GWh, equivalent to the consumption of more than 100,000 Norwegian households.

The old power station consists of three existing units rehabilitated, while three units are decommissioned. At the same time a new power station has been built with one large unit. The new station is built inside the mountain, close to the the old one.

New waterways were partly driven by a tunnel boring machine for the first time in Norway in decades. In total,  19 km of new tunnels has been driven. At peak,  300 people have been working on the  the plant. The entire project has a budget of approximately NOK 2 billion.

The project has a positive environmental impact. In parallel with the increased power generation, conditions has been improved for salmon and sea trout in Røssåga. Due to the project, water has now returned to a stretch of the river representing 30 percent of the spawning basis throughout the Røssåga river system.

Photo: courtesy of Statkraft