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The Byro river is located between Måge and Reisete in Ullensvang. The river forms a border between Måge and Lindvik. Landowners were aware that the river had the potential for small-scale power. Realisation of the value creation from the river was the subject of negotiations with several developers.
In 2008, a contract was signed with Småkraft, which assumed the risk, the work with the licensing process and the development itself. NVE granted a licence in 2012, which was confirmed by Ministry of Petroleum and Energy (OED) in 2013 after an appeal. In the summer of 2014, contractors arrived with the machines. In 2016, the power plant was ready to deliver its contribution in the form of new renewable energy and local business revenues.
The Byro power is well adapted to the terrain by the national highway.
The implementation of the project has had its challenges along the way. The name “Byro” means “flour chest”. This name comes from the many avalanches during the winter, as the snowdrift resembles flour.
From the intake looking down over the ravine, it is easy to see why nothing was built here before. The intake had to be created without a road, and most of the contracting work by the intake was done in the “old-fashioned” way, with access via ladders.
On a positive note, local contractors and other suppliers kept things going. Drilled holes hit their targets immediately, and weather conditions have been good for the intake threshold. This along with a project team for operations and good construction management helped ensure that the project was completed by the deadline.
Collaboration with landowners has been good. Their contributions in the form of local knowledge, and their presence during the application and construction phases have enabled a smooth project implementation.
