Two years ago, news visited the river below the Fosstveit power plant in Agder. Then it stank of dead fish. For 14 years, researchers and volunteers have picked up fish corpses in the river. The murder weapon has been invisible. Under the floor of the power plant, turbines with sharp steel blades produce electricity. The same steel blades have made mincemeat out of fish. The power plant received a lot of criticism because fish and eels were killed. Then Småkraft AS decided to buy the power plant, hoping to fix the problem. – The purchase could frighten God and every man. We were very skeptical, but now we can smile that we have the solution, says Terje Vedeler, CEO of Småkraft AS. Terje Vedeler, manager of Småkraft AS stands over the slide that will save the fish and the eel. Photo: Kjetil Samuelsen / news Now are new times. The goal is for power production and nature to live together in harmony. – We have completely reconstructed the power plant. We have known about the principle before, but it has not worked technically. We have solved this, and now we can produce without harming nature, he continues. Red-spotted eel was cut up and washed into the river. Hopefully it can now slide down a new slide. Photo: Christine Fagerbakke / news Sliding eel Energy Minister Terje Aasland (Ap) was presented with a simple but potentially important solution. – This warms the heart of an energy minister. They take a power plant with challenges, use expertise and then an environmental project is created. Nature and power live together here, says Aasland to news. The old and open grate is next to the new and more functional grate. Photo: Kjetil Samuelsen / news Eel, sea trout and salmon go up the river to spawn. It has done that for years, and a power plant does not stop that instinct. The solution the minister was presented with was simple: Before, the fish were sucked through an open grate and into the turbine. Now there is a large grate, but a tighter opening. The fish are then taken into a chute and out into the river below the power plant. The result remains For several years, researcher Tormod Haraldstad from Norce has counted the number of eels and fish killed. He has faith that he can now count live fish instead. Researcher Tormod Haraldsen has counted many fish corpses. Now he hopes that job is over. Photo: Kjetil Samuelsen / news – We are very excited about this. Everything indicates that the solution will work well, but it remains to be seen after we have evaluated the project, he says to news. Power plant country Huge dams and dry rivers have made Norway a hydropower giant. In the 2000s, there were around 400 small power plants in Norway. Now there are over 1,400. And there will be more. Researcher Haraldstad hopes more people can adopt the solution. And there is a need for that, confirms both the researcher and the energy minister. – This is a big problem with many power plants in Norway. We believe Fosstveit is a good example of how we can create solutions. We hope that this can be used elsewhere in the country, says Haraldstad. The minister cannot answer how many other power plants have similar challenges to Fosstveit, but says many power plants need upgrades. – We have many old power plants that need upgrades, so it is important that we take care of life in the waterways. I am convinced that this project provides lessons and experiences to take care of biological diversity, says the minister. Published 17.08.2024, at 16.59
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New solution to save the fish in the power plant – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
