Sønnå is a modern hydro powerplant located in Sauda commune in the south-western region of Norway. Commisioned in 2009, Sønnå is the newest plant among a wider cluster of power plants owned by Saudefaldene. It consists of two generating stations (Sønnå high and Sønnå low) with a combined production capacity of 1345 GWh of renewable energy. The environmental footprint of the plant is negligible and extensive efforts are undertaken to ensure minimal impact to surrounding landscape and ecology.
Sønnå has a unique architectural design as it is situated a kilometer deep inside a cavern in Sauda fjord. As a result, the powerplant integrates seamlessly with the surrounding nature and is virtually invisible to the eye when viewed from outside (with the exception of the entrance area as seen in the image above). As part of the construction for Sønnå, 34 kms of tunnels and shafts were constructed inside the mountain to intake water from 8 different streams. Hence, no new dams, reservoirs or roads had to be constructed.