HydroBalance Pilot Study

The HydroBalance Pilot Study was a pre-project to HydroBalance. It addressed the potential need and challenges of Norwegian hydro storage for balancing Europe’s growing wind power production and other variable energy sources. The objective of the pilot study was to describe the balancing power potential in South‐Norway based on initial case studies, including environmental effects in reservoirs, grid capacity needs, social acceptance and industrial opportunities. 

An initial study identified a potential between 11.500 MW and 20.000 MW which could be realized in existing reservoirs in Southern Norway by upgrading  existing hydro storage plants and building pumped storage power plants.


Further, the following activities were carried out:

  • Finalize the description of the balancing power potential in Southern Norway based on the results from the initial case study. The activity regarding balancing power needs is to describe needs related to the variation in wind power production from a 94.000 MW wind power installation in the North Sea basin.
  • Illustrate the grid capacity needs with focus on the connection of the balancing power plants from the case study to the central grid in Norway.
  • Mapping potential sites for pumped storage hydropower among existing reservoirs in Norway, within the limits for their minimum and maximum allowed water level, as well as reservoir volume.

CEDREN organized and participated in several international workshops relevant to Norwegian hydro storage and transmission between Norway, the continent and Great Britain:

Photo: Norwegian hydro power reservoires offers the possibility for balancing the growing wind power production in Europe.