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Hovatn

Hydro power plant in Aust-Agder, Norway. Approximate location 58.9829, 7.6694.

HydroAust-AgderNorwayconventional storage

Hovatn is a 45 MW hydro power plant in Aust-Agder, Norway. It is operated by Å Energi Vannkraft. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 45k homes (estimated). It ranks #154 of 307 Norway power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1971, it is around 55 years old — an older, legacy facility. 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).

45Source-backed capacity
45,051homes powered (est.)
1971commissioned (~55 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1003233.

Data status

Known data

FacilityHovatn WRI
CountryNorway · Aust-Agder WRI
Coordinates58.9829, 7.6694 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity45 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerÅ Energi Vannkraft WRI
Commissioned1971 WRI
Technologyconventional storage WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#154 of 307 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#141 of 291 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.05× · 43 MW median · 291 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent45,051 calculated
Climate4.2°C · HDD 5,006 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 24/100 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.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is a source-verified 2026 capacity claim: 45 MW for Hovatn hydroelectric plant.

Source: GEM tracker raw 2026. Scope: operating/nameplate; source-backed GEM tracker 2026 plant record. Confidence: high_source_row_verified_strict.

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 L100001023155); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 45 MW, Hovatn is around 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 Å Energi Vannkraft.

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a subarctic (boreal) climate (Köppen Dfc) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 59.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

4.2°Cannual mean temp
5,006heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
564 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -4 °CJF: -4 °CFM: -1 °CMA: 2 °CAM: 8 °CMJ: 12 °CJJ: 14 °CJA: 13 °CAS: 9 °CSO: 5 °CON: 0 °CND: -3 °CD14 °C

Heating degree-days here run 104% 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: 94/100 — 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)
24/100environmental-severity index
18.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
98 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 #141 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 58.9829, 7.6694 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Hovatn?

Hovatn is a 45 MW source-record hydro power plant in Aust-Agder, Norway, commissioned in 1971.

How many homes can Hovatn power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 45,051 homes (estimated).

Who operates Hovatn?

Hovatn is operated by Å Energi Vannkraft.

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