Tonstad Power Station (''Tonstad kraftverk'') is a
hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...
power station
A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the electricity generation, generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electr ...
located in the municipality of
Sirdal in
Agder
Agder is a counties of Norway, county () and districts of Norway, traditional region in the southern part of Norway and is coextensive with the Southern Norway region. The county was established on 1 January 2020, when the old Vest-Agder and Au ...
county,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
. The station is in
Tonstad
Tonstad is the administrative centre of the municipality of Sirdal in Agder county, Norway. The village is located at the northern end of the lake Sirdalsvatnet in the Sirdalen valley. The village has a population (2015) of 874, giving the villa ...
, at the northern end of the lake
Sirdalsvatnet.
It has a total installed capacity of 960
MW, with 4 units each 160 MW and one unit at 320 MW, all equipped with
francis turbine
The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts. Francis turbines are the most common water turbine in use today, and can achieve over 95% efficiency.
The pro ...
s. With an annual production of approximately 3800 GWh, it is the largest power station in Norway with respect to annual production (in 2006). It is near the landing point of the 1,400 MW
NORD.LINK power cable to Germany.
The powerstation utilises the waterfalls in the
Sira and the
Kvina river system, with a total height of . An application for an expansion with an additional 960 MW (pumped storage) was sent in 2008. The application is still pending.
See also
References
Hydroelectric power stations in Norway
Buildings and structures in Agder
Dams in Norway
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