Malthe Winje Infrapower delivers small-scale, low-impact hydropower plants for rivers

More than 1 billion people worldwide lack access to the power grid, affecting health, education, and economic growth.

Ensuring access to reliable, affordable electricity, without contributing to climate change, requires the use of renewable energy sources. Hydropower is one such source, although hydropower plants are typically capital intensive to build and often involve infrastructure that requires extensive studies to ensure limited impact on both local communities and ecosystems.

Small-scale run-of-river hydropower plant

The Malthe Winje Infrapower system is a standardised and containerised hydropower plant for smaller rivers. The plants are developed as run-of-river plants, with innovative equipment solutions across the waterway.

Malthe Winje Infrapower targets plants that can provide up to 50 MW of renewable energy. The plants can be connected to the power grid as well as operate in island mode. They can also be remotely monitored and controlled, enhancing and supporting the operation and maintenance capabilities of the local on-site organisation.

In addition, plants can be equipped with a water purification system, enabling supply of both electricity and drinking water.

Concrete benefits

Malthe Winje Infrapower run-of-river plants reduce impact on the surrounding environment and communities by avoiding larger structures such as impoundment dams.

Together with its partners in the Norwegian hydropower sector, Malthe Winje Infrapower offers complete turnkey project implementation of the plant, including technical review, design, engineering, procurement and construction. The standard model can be installed time and cost-effectively.

Market potential

The East African energy market is driven by increasing energy demand, climate commitments and unreliable and costly grid supply. Less than 30 per cent of the population in these countries has access to electricity.

Malthe Winje Infrapower has built a run-of-the-river plant in Rwanda, currently providing 0.4 MW to the local grid. With its partners, the company is currently developing about a dozen sustainable and bankable hydropower projects in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, with an aggregated energy production of more than 500 GWh per annum. This segment represents a multibillion dollar market worldwide.

Malthe Winje AS was established as a technology and infrastructure company in 1922. Since then, the company has built a leading position in the Nordic countries in areas such water and wastewater treatment, building automation, energy production, and transportation.