Hydropower

Development of hydropower projects that balance technical- with economic and financial aspects as well as environmental and social issues, requires a deep understanding of both macro level- and details of hydropower engineering. Through participation in all phases of hydropower projects in Norway and internationally for almost a century, Norconsult has the required expertise to make your project a success. In addition to technical competence in all relevant fields or hydropower engineering, we have resources who are specialized in environmental and social aspects to ensure these issues are safeguarded during project development.

In addition to our long experience with distinguish ourselves from our competitors in several areas. First, we are the leading engineering company in digitalization of hydropower projects using BIM and VDC. Most new large hydropower projects we develop in Norway are now constructed completely without use of paper drawings. Second, we are world leading experts in engineering geology and rock engineering. Where suitable, we are proponents of “Norwegian design” solutions with unlined, inclined tunnels and underground powerhouses which may represent tremendous time, cost and environmental advantages. Third, we have one of the largest inhouse resource bases of hydropower experts in the world, and can thus offer cohesive and well-coordinated teams instead of the collection of freelancers that some offer.

Our approach to project development is to focus on key elements in each phase (risk based breakdown), and adapt level of detailing to the scope and data available in each phase. Key services within hydropower engineering include inter alia:

• Pre-feasibility and feasibility studies
• Value engineering
• Tender design and preparation of tender documents
• Detailed (construction) design and construction supervision
• Condition assessment and monitoring
• Rehabilitation projects
• Due diligence investigation
• Dam safety reviews
• Grid connection
• Environmental and social impact assessment

In addition, we perform a long range of specialist services such as lake taps and efficiency measurements