Alteidet is a village located at the head of Lille Altafjorden. Lille Altafjorden is a branch of the Kvænangen fjord. Along the E6 highway, the distance to the municipal center, Burfjord, is 12 km. The distance eastward to the county border of Finnmark is 5 km.
The Langdalselva river flows into Lille Altafjorden at the village of Alteidet. For several centuries, Alteidet has been part of the route between the north and the south.
Alteidet’s location allowed travelers to avoid the Lopphavet sea by passing through the village, where they were transported overland to Sopnes. Historical innkeeper fees indicate that Alteidet was a prosperous trading post. “The hosts stood ready day and night to receive guests.” Alteidet’s central importance as a hub is also clearly evident in historical descriptions of the area. In addition to the traffic associated with the trading post, Alteidet served as a court site and later as a meeting place for the municipal council. During King Haakon VII’s first journey to Northern Norway in 1907, the royal party stayed as guests of H. Giæver at Alteidet. H. Giæver was also the county’s representative at the royal coronation in 1907. The trading post featured its own bakery, telegraph office, accommodation, and municipal council chambers, comprising a total of 27 buildings.
The landowners and Småkraft applied for a concession in November 2004, which was granted in November 2007. By 2011, all official approvals were finally in place, and construction could commence. Construction work began in October 2011 by securing the water supply for the village of Alteidet during the construction phase. In November, the contractor began laying the pipelines.
In May 2013, the final details were completed, including testing and the filling of the waterway.
In June 2013, the power plant commenced production of environmentally friendly clean energy.
