Ortnevik power plant was granted a licence in 1999 and was among the first modern small-scale power plants to receive this. The project owners were strongly involved in the design, planning and construction of the facility, which has been in operation since 2005.
As part of the development and optimisation of the Valldalselva river, it was natural for the landowners to collaborate with Småkraft, thus allowing the Ortnevik power plant to become part of this collaboration.