Buksefjord hydroelectric power plant


The Buksefjord hydroelectric power plant is the first and largest hydroelectric power plant in Greenland. It was built by Nuuk-Kraft and it is operated by Nukissiorfiit - Greenland's national energy company.
In 1984–85, Greenland's energy authority prepared a Greenland's hydroelectricity development program. At that time all electricity in Greenland was produced by oil based fuels, but there had been a sharp rise in the oil prices the preceding years. Construction of a plant in Buksefjord was proposed by a private consortium in 1988. In 1989, four companies were invited to a public tender. However, later it was decided that construction of the plant will be financed by the Home Rule of Greenland and the plant will be rented to Nuuk-Kraft consortium. Construction of the plant was approved by the Parliament of Greenland in 1990. It was commissioned in 1993.
Unconventionally, the power station is situated inside a mountain and it consists of of tunnels. The upper reservoir, Kang Lake, is situated above sea level at Buksefjord. Due to damming and deep inlet, it has a total effective volume of, which is six times more than the annual water consumption by the plant. From the lake, a long inlet pressure tunnel runs down to the plant.
Originally, the plant had two turbines with capacity of 15 MW each. In 2008, a third turbine with the same capacity was installed.
The generated power is transferred to Nuuk over long Buksefjord–Nuuk power line, which includes the Ameralik Span, the world's longest span.