About NO5-West Dam

The NO5 West zone covers Vestland county, the coastal region centred on Bergen that is synonymous with Norway's fjord landscape and some of the world's most productive hydropower geography. This zone receives the highest annual precipitation in Europe — certain inland valleys record over 5,000 mm per year — making it a virtually inexhaustible source of runoff for reservoir filling. The Sira-Kvina, Lyse, BKK, and Statkraft Vestland schemes are among the most powerful and economically significant in Norway, collectively contributing a substantial share of Norway's total electricity output. The Jøsenfjord and Lysefjord systems in Rogaland, including the famous Preikestolen plateau overlooking the Lysefjord, are underlain by a vast network of tunnels and underground caverns carved for the Lyse Energi hydropower scheme. Storage capacity in NO5 is approximately 14.8 TWh. The zone's reservoirs are the first to receive Atlantic weather systems sweeping in from the North Sea, and in wet autumns they fill rapidly — occasionally spilling. Hardangerfjord, the second-longest fjord in the world, drains the eastern reaches of the zone via the Opo and Bjoreio rivers. The NO5 zone is directly connected to the NordLink submarine cable to Germany and the North Sea Link to the United Kingdom, making its reservoir levels a significant factor in pan-European electricity prices. Fjordkraft, Lyse Energi, and BKK are among the principal utility operators in the zone.