This article has been corrected.
Norway already produces enough renewable energy from hydropower, geothermal power and wind to meet roughly all of its electricity demand. But it’s still building more power plants—and it is making at least some of them strikingly pretty.
The Øvre Forsland power station is in the forested mountains of Helgeland, a Norwegian province just south of the Arctic Circle. It’s an area where few live, but many visit to see the wild and pristine landscapes.
The hydroelectric station, which generates 30 gigawatt hours of power, is trying not to spoil that. Its creators hope, in fact, that the plant complements its natural surroundings and will attract visitors.
“The plant has been designed to reflect the characteristics of the landscape, which is located on the river bed in a clearing at the edge of a spruce forest. The main inspiration for the design was the verticality and the irregularity of the spruce trees,” said the team that designed the plant at architecture firm Stein Hamre arkitektkontor in a statement.
They hope visiting hikers with come to the plant to learn about hydropower. The design incorporates local wood which has been processed to make it durable. Stone, slate and glass are also utilized.
Helgelands Kraft, a Norwegian producer of hydraulic electricity, commissioned Øvre Forsland along with several other power stations, all designed to blend into their surrounds as they generate clean energy.
Correction (April 30): An earlier version of this article stated the output of the station in gigawatts. It is in fact in gigawatt hours.