Botnur Power Plant

{{Short description|Hydroelectric power station supplying the Faroe Islands}}{{Infobox dam

| name = Botnur power plant

| name_official = Elektrisitetsverkið í Botni

| image = Elverkið í Botni.jpg

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| image_caption = The Botnur hydroelectric plant,
with its two water supply pipes.

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| location_map = Faroe Islands

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| location_map_caption = Location in the Faroe Islands

| coordinates = {{coord|61.4863|-6.8695|type:landmark_region:FO|display=inline,title}}

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| status = O

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| plant_operator = SEV

| plant_commission = {{start date|1921|07|18|df=y}}

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| plant_turbines = 1 X 1.1 MW Pelton-type
1 X 2.2 MW Pelton-type

| plant_capacity = 3.3 MW

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The Botnur power plant ({{langx|fo|Elektrisitetsverkið í Botni}}) is a hydroelectric power station supplying the Faroe Islands' southernmost island of Suðuroy with electricity. It is located to the north of Vágur. Botnur was the first hydroelectric plant built in the Faroes.[http://www.sev.fo/Default.aspx?ID=172 SEV.fo, The Hydro Electric Power Plant in Botnur]{{cite web |url=http://www.sev.fo/Default.aspx?ID=508 |title=The Hydro Electric Power Plant in Botnur |publisher=SEV |access-date=30 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322212936/http://sev.fo/Default.aspx?ID=508 |archive-date=22 March 2012 }}

The plant was built by the municipality of Vágur, partly to power the ship cableway in Vágseiði.[https://web.archive.org/web/20090130114454/http://suduroy.net/vitjunarverd_stod/Tradbanin_i_Vagi.html Tráðbanin] (archive) It became operational on 18 July 1921.{{cite report |url= http://www.imr.fo/Data/Register/D7DA01D3-FFC7-4FC9-BDE1-DBFFA41B6504/E7A0FB3C-9B4B-4294-9B52-E5AC9016623E/60812F10-1787-4471-BCB0-44CB345924FD.pdf |title= Sustainable energy in the Faroe Islands — the role of hydropower |first= Poul A. |last= Mikladal |publisher= Burðardygg El Orka |date= December 2005 |page= 16 |access-date= 30 December 2012 |archive-date= 10 February 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120210160619/http://www.imr.fo/Data/Register/D7DA01D3-FFC7-4FC9-BDE1-DBFFA41B6504/E7A0FB3C-9B4B-4294-9B52-E5AC9016623E/60812F10-1787-4471-BCB0-44CB345924FD.pdf |url-status= dead }}{{cite journal |last1=Kampp |first1=Aa. H. |title=The Sources of Energy and Manufacturing Industries of the Faroes |journal = Inter Nord |issue = 11| year = 1970| page = 45 |quote = On Suduroy, the supply of current to Vâgur from the hydro-electric power station in Botnur was begun in 1921.}} In 1960, the plant was acquired by SEV from Suðuroyar Elverk.

The plant is equipped with two turbines. One is a 1.1 MW Pelton turbine, commissioned in 1965, and it is supplied by water from the Ryskivatn lake, which is again supplied by the Miðvatn lake at 345m altitude, holding 550,000 m³ of water. The other is a 2.2 MW Francis turbine, commissioned in 1966, supplied from the Vatnsnes lake (Vatnsnesvatn) at 177m altitude, holding 725,000 m³ of water.{{cite web |last1=Ludescher-Huber |first1=Franziska |title=Wind power based pumped storage on Suðuroy |url=https://www.nordicenergy.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Wind-power-based-pumped-storage_Norconsult.pdf |access-date=2 April 2019 |page=7 |date=November 2013}} Botnur is an unmanned plant; it is operated from the Vágsverkið (also called Heimaru Oyrar) power plant.