History
The name “Rasdal” (literally translated as “landslide valley”), has nothing to do with landslides, but rather with water. The valley was named after the high waterfall below the farms, which in ancient times was called Hradall. This means “the fast one”, “he who hurries”. Later, the H disappeared and the valley’s name changed to Radallsdal and eventually to Rasdal.
Rasdalen has been settled since the early Iron Age. The river has had a significant impact on the farms in the valley throughout history. Here, there were mill houses, grinding stones and later, sawmills. A dam with a hatch had also been established at the Radalsvannet lake, ensuring operations for the technical installations even during dryer periods of the year.
The Rasdalselva river flows into the Bolstadelva river, which is known for its traditionally rich salmon fishing with a salmon population of particularly large individuals. Salmon fishing was a significant source of income for the landowners in the area.
Rasdalen did not have roads until 1954, or electricity until 1956, and the valley has only periodically had its own school.
The project
As part of the administrative “Samlet plan” (Norwegian plan for the national management of watercourses), the Rasdalselva river was previously intended to be diverted to the Bergsdal watercourse. There was strong local opposition to this, and the plans were put on ice.
In 2006, a licence application was submitted with a plan to utilise the waterfall in Rasdalen, and then as a purely run-of-river power plant, without any form of transmission or reservoir storage. A licence was granted, and construction began in the spring of 2008. The project presented major technical challenges, including a waterway partly in rock and partly in a trench with more than a 30-degree slope. The project was efficiently implemented by everyone involved, and the power plant was completed in November 2009. The Rasdalen power plant has become a facility that both landowners and Småkraft are extremely proud of.
Rasdalen power plant, Voss
The Rasdalselva river is a tributary to the Bolstadelva river and is located south of Bolstadøyri, approximately 40 km west of Vossevangen. The power station is located above ground at the foot of the valley side, right by the E16, approximately 100 metres before the confluence between the Bolstadelva and Vosso rivers.
Technical information
The power plant has a Pelton turbine with a capacity of 2.2 m³/s. Installed capacity is 5.2 MW. The waterway consists of a shaft of 305 metres and a buried ductile cast iron pipe of approximately 760 metres, diameter 900 mm. Maximum gradient is 30º.
