In April 2011, Statkraft applied for a license for the construction of Vigdøla power plant in the municipality of Luster in Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. Vigdøla power plant will utilise a gross head (vertical drop) of approximately 600 meter in Vigdøla, a tributary of the Jostedøla river, on the eastern side of Jostedalen.
Vigdøla power plant is a small hydropower project on the east side of Jostedalen. The power station is planned to be built about 1200 meters inside the mountain, close to the existing Jostedal power station.
Jostedal power station is located at Myklemyr, about 15 km from the municipal center Gaupne.
The new power plant will have a drop of about 600 meters from the intake at Skitnamyri in Vigdøla, close to the road. The plan is to establish a new tunnel and a new pressure shaft from the intake at Skitnamyri, down to the new power station. Just next to the existing Jostedal power station a new station hall will be created for the new power plant.
This solution makes it possible to utilize the existing head race tunnel into Jostedal power station, tailrace channel to the Gaupne fjord and power lines out of Jostedal power station. The excavated materials from the tunnel are intended placed close to the existing rock dump just east of Jostedøla. This reduces interference with nature as much as possible.
Focus on the environment
Statkraft wants to construct the Vigdøla project because it can be done in an environmentally acceptable manner and at a reasonable cost. Jostedalen and Vigdalen have large and distinctive natural qualities that Statkraft tries to take into account when planning the construction road and intake, disposal of rock materials from underground operations as well as other technical interventions. The project also includes plans for a minimum water flow in the river in order to preserve the original landscape in the best way possible.
