The ice on Folgefonna has been here for thousands of years. But it is not eternal. – The Icelandic team has changed dramatically in the last 20 years. It’s fast now. Jostein Bakke is professor of geology at the University of Bergen. He is one of the foremost in the world in mapping what the landscape looks like under the glaciers. He has recently published a detailed map of what is hiding under the glacier in Western Norway. One of the conclusions is that there have been major changes in how the lake finds its way down to the Hardangerfjord. – Water that today flows west or north, will change course south. More of the power plants located by the glacier will receive less supply, he says. CHANGES COURSE: Power plant will be in the wrong place, says researcher. Photo: Folgefonni Breførarlag Statkraft thinks the research is interesting The power plant in Mauranger is one of those Bakke thinks will get less water during the next decades. – I have not heard much discussion about this yet. But it almost has to come. If new investments are to be made in hydropower, this must be part of the assessment. It has not been that far, he says. Statkraft has plans for upgrades in Mauranger that will make the power plant the fifth largest in the country. – This research is of interest to Statkraft, writes press spokesperson Knut Fjerdingstad at Statkraft. CHANGES: This is how the calculations show that the area under Folgefonna will look like. The shaded area is today’s water reservoir. Photo: UiB – But we are aware of the problem, and have experienced it, for example in the Rana power plant. There, Vestisen in Okstindbreen took a new run 4-5 years ago, and disappeared as an inflow field. Statkraft nevertheless believes in a long-term future for the Mauranger power plant. Professor Bakke believes that the power industry does not pay enough attention to the knowledge they have gained. – There has been a dramatic upheaval for hydropower in many places. Melting can still provide more hydropower On Jostein Bakke’s map, he sees where new lakes will form. Perhaps as early as 50 years from now, the landscape under Folgefonna will be visible to everyone. The disappearance of glaciers can have several negative consequences for life on land and in the fjords. WILL REMEMBER: Professor Jostein Bakke at Folgefonna Photo: Oddgeir Øystese / news But for the power industry, it also creates new opportunities. – There is potential for more power production from the glacier area than we have today, the researcher concludes. But glaciers such as Folgefonna and Jostedalsbreen are today national parks. And new power development required new interventions. – This is a debate that will certainly come. What status should the glaciers have when the ice is awake, he says.
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Meiner power industry does not take glacier melting seriously – news Vestland
