– Too little water in the river can negatively affect biological diversity. Violations of the minimum water flow requirements are therefore serious, says Mari Hegg Gundersen, section manager for environmental inspection at watercourse facilities in NVE (Norway’s Directorate of Waterways and Energy) in a press release.
Stølselva power plant is located in Stølselva in Sunnfjord and was commissioned in May 2020. The power plant is still operated by Småkraft AS, but the concession was taken over by Småkraft Green Bond 2, a subsidiary, in 2021.
It was in October 2023 that Småkraft AS contacted NVE following discovering the breach. A control measurement in Stølselva revealed that the minimum water flow was 13.7 liters per second. However, the requirement in the concession is 20 liters per second.
NVE believes the violation is a consequence of poor routines both when commissioning the power plant and during the operational phase.
– The situation might have been avoided if a control measurement of the minimum water flow had been carried out before the plant was started. The matter is particularly serious because it took three years before the minimum water flow in the river was controlled, says Gundersen.
The decision can be appealed to the Ministry of Energy by 19 August, says NVE.
#Power #plants #receive #infringement #fees #NVE
2024-07-04 18:35:18
