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Holsbru

Hydro power plant in Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. Approximate location 61.3119, 7.8316.

HydroSogn og FjordaneNorwayconventional storage

Holsbru is a 56 MW hydro power plant in Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is operated by Norsk Hydro ASA [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 56k homes (estimated). It ranks #127 of 307 Norway power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2012, it is around 14 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 90.0% of Norway's electricity; the national grid averages 28 gCO₂/kWh (99.0% low-carbon) (2025).

56Source-backed capacity
56,064homes powered (est.)
2012commissioned (~14 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1003225.

Data status

Known data

FacilityHolsbru WRI
CountryNorway · Sogn og Fjordane WRI
Coordinates61.3119, 7.8316 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity56 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerNorsk Hydro ASA [100%] WRI
Commissioned2012 WRI
Technologyconventional storage WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#127 of 307 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#118 of 291 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.30× · 43 MW median · 291 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent56,064 calculated
Climate-1.4°C · HDD 7,080 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 20/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100001023154); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 56 MW, Holsbru is well above the median hydro plant in Norway (43 MW). Technically it is described as conventional storage. Hydropower converts the energy of falling or flowing water into electricity; output depends on rainfall and reservoir level, and large dams also provide grid balancing and storage.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Norway

Kvilldal: 1,444 MW1kKvilldalAurland5: 1,398 MW1kAurland5Tonstad: 960 MW960TonstadSy-Sima: 720 MW720Sy-SimaSaurdal: 640 MW640SaurdalSvartisen: 600 MW600SvartisenLang Sima: 580 MW580Lang SimaRana: 570 MW570Rana

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Norsk Hydro ASA [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a Mediterranean subarctic climate (Köppen Dsc) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 61.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

-1.4°Cannual mean temp
7,080heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,275 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -9 °CJF: -9 °CFM: -7 °CMA: -4 °CAM: 2 °CMJ: 6 °CJJ: 8 °CJA: 8 °CAS: 3 °CSO: -1 °CON: -6 °CND: -8 °CD8 °C

Heating degree-days here run 188% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 100/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
20/100environmental-severity index
17.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
143 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #118 largest hydro power plant of 291 in Norway by capacity.

Norway has 291 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 28,512 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 61.3119, 7.8316 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Holsbru?

Holsbru is a 56 MW source-record hydro power plant in Sogn og Fjordane, Norway, commissioned in 2012.

How many homes can Holsbru power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 56,064 homes (estimated).

Who operates Holsbru?

Holsbru is operated by Norsk Hydro ASA [100%].

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