Alta — Norway's most controversial hydro scheme

Never have the environmental questions connected with a Norwegian hydropower project aroused such public interest - at home and abroad - as with the Alta scheme in North Norway. The project was put before the Norwegian Parliament three times. And on top of that, the matter was then taken to the Supreme Court. Actions from demonstrators influenced the government to halt construction work for one year. However, favoured with a good owner/contractorrelation, the work was speeded up, thus reducing construction time from 6 to 5 years and enabling the project to be commissioned in 1987. As to expenditures, 7.5 per cent of the total cost has gone to environmental matters and an amount equivalent to 10 per cent of the total cost was used on a sizeable police force to get construction work started. Among several ecological aspects, the superb salmon fishing in the Alta river was the most important. Therefore no other Norwegian power plant has had such strict flow regulations imposed on it. As far as sociological aspects go, there was in connection with the Alta scheme a great focus on the Sari culture - not only the ancient history, but perhaps even more on the Sari’s situation today and in the future. Before and after construction, several multi-disciplinary scientific studies concerning the environment have been carried out.