MEDIA RELEASE PR37224
The World's First Osmotic Power Prototype Opens Today
OSLO, Nov. 24 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --
Today Statkraft opens the world's first osmotic power prototype. The
official opening will be conducted by Her Royal Highness Crown Princess
Mette-Marit of Norway.
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The prototype generates power by exploiting the energy available when
fresh water and seawater are mixed. Osmotic power
emissions-free energy source that Statkraft has been researching into for 10
years and that will be capable of making a substantial global contribution to
eco-friendly power production.
"This new technology generates electricity simply by mixing water. New
solutions to meet the climate challenges might be closer than we expect,
which makes me confident that the future looks bright," says Statkraft CEO
and President, Bard Mikkelsen.
"I want to congratulate Statkraft with the opening of the osmotic power
prototype. Innovative energy solutions are essential to meet the climate
challenges, and I am pleased that a Norwegian company is a front runner in
developing these technologies," says Terje Riis-Johansen, Norwegian Minister
of Petroleum and Energy.
"We appreciate that a major company like Statkraft invests in new,
renewable solutions. We will work together with Statkraft to secure that the
solutions also are sustainable solutions," says Rasmus Hansson, CEO of WWF
Norway.
The prototype will have a limited production capacity and is intended
primarily for testing and development purposes. The aim is to be capable of
constructing a commercial osmotic power plant within a few years' time.
The global potential of osmotic power
1,600-1,700 TWh per annum, equivalent to 50 percent of the EU's total power
production. Osmotic power plants can, in principle, be located wherever fresh
water runs into the sea; they produce no noise or polluting emissions and
they can be integrated into existing industrial zones, for example, in the
basements of industrial buildings.
Statkraft has been researching osmotic power since 1997 and has developed
this prototype in cooperation with R&D organisations from many countries. The
project has attracted a lot of international interest, and several foreign
guests are attending the opening.
Statkraft is Europe's largest renewable energy company. The group
develops and generates hydropower, wind power, gas power and district
heating, and is a major player on the European power exchanges. Statkraft
also develops marine energy, osmotic power, solar power and other innovative
energy solutions. In 2008 Statkraft posted gross operating revenues of EUR
3.1 billion. The group employs 3,200 staff in more than 20 countries.
For more information, contact:
- Spokesperson Knut Fjerdingstad, mobile +47-901-86-310
- Head of international information Torbjorn Steen, mobile +47-911-66-888
- Communications Advisor Stefan Okstveit, mobile +47-975-78-299
Notes to editors:
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SOURCE: Statkraft
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