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All Norway Øygarden kommune Ocean Wave Power Plants

Ocean Wave Power Plants

Ruins of two abandoned stations destroyed by the power they sought to harness.

Øygarden kommune, Norway

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SaltSild
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Waves crash against the abandoned plant.   Svein-Magne Tunli
Graffiti covers the abandoned power plants.   SaltSild / Atlas Obscura User
Wave wedge.   SaltSild / Atlas Obscura User
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Enormous waves pummel the shore of this Norwegian peninsula, sending spurts of water erupting skyward. It's a dramatic show of the power that both created and destroyed these two abandoned plants.

Norway began toying with the idea of harnessing wave power in the 1980s. The wind-whipped waters of the North Sea frequently unleash their fury along the west coast, making the country ideally situated to experiment with pioneering wave technology.

In 1985, a pilot wave power plant opened at Toftestallen. Waves went crashing into a tapered channel, where the water then coursed through a basin before passing through a turbine generator as the current tugged it back to sea.

However, just three years after it opened, a winter storm sent the water hurtling toward the station with a frenzied ferocity. The power plant was destroyed, reduced to ruins by the very same power it aimed to harness. A second wave power plant was built nearby, but it too eventually succumbed to the ocean’s strength.

Now, it’s possible to see all that remains of the abandoned plants. The insides of some of the structures are now in disarray and covered with graffiti, and the waves still thrash against them like a constant reminder of nature’s unyielding power.

Related Tags

Waves Oceans Power Stations Abandoned Electricity

Know Before You Go

The power plant is located on the island of Sotra, about a 45-minute drive from the Bergen city center. Enter the area at your own risk and walk carefully.

In July 2024 the bridge to the power plant was missing. You could either swim the 10 meters between the bridge or take a boat.

Community Contributors

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SaltSild

Edited By

Tom Tick, Kerry Wolfe

  • Tom Tick
  • Kerry Wolfe

Published

April 4, 2018

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Ocean Wave Power Plants
121 Bølgekraftvegen
Øygarden kommune
Norway
60.469782, 4.925376
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