STATKRAFT ENERGI AS

Their core work

Statkraft Energi is the energy generation arm of Statkraft, Europe's largest producer of renewable energy, headquartered in Oslo, Norway. Their H2020 participation centers on hydropower technology — specifically improving turbine performance, extending equipment life span, and increasing operational flexibility of hydropower plants. They contribute deep industrial expertise in real-world hydropower operations to research consortia, serving as an end-user and validation partner for academic innovations in flow control, vibration mitigation, and cavitation reduction.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Statkraft's H2020 trajectory shows a clear progression from broad energy transition research toward highly specific hydropower engineering challenges. Their earliest project (ENSYSTRA, 2017) addressed energy systems in transition at a strategic level, while later projects (HydroFlex 2018, AFC4Hydro 2019) drilled into concrete technical problems — turbine flexibility, flow control, cavitation, and vibration. This narrowing suggests increasing commitment to solving specific operational challenges in their core hydropower business through EU-funded R&D.

Statkraft is moving from strategic energy research toward applied hydropower R&D — future partners should bring concrete turbine or flow engineering capabilities.

How they like to work

Statkraft has never coordinated an H2020 project, consistently joining as participant or third party. This is typical of large energy utilities that contribute industrial infrastructure, operational data, and real-world testing environments rather than leading the research agenda. With 45 unique partners across 9 countries, they connect broadly but selectively — participating in just 3 projects suggests they choose consortia carefully rather than joining at high volume.

Statkraft has collaborated with 45 unique partners across 9 countries through just 3 projects, indicating participation in medium-to-large consortia with strong European reach. Their network likely spans Scandinavian energy actors and Central/Western European research institutions.

What sets them apart

Statkraft brings something most research partners cannot: operational scale. As a major European hydropower producer, they offer real turbine installations, operational datasets, and validation environments that academic partners need to move research from the lab to the field. For consortium builders, having Statkraft on board signals industrial relevance and a credible path to deployment — a strong asset in any proposal targeting hydropower or flexible renewable energy.

Highlights from their portfolio

• AFC4Hydro
  Most technically specific project — targeting active flow control for hydraulic turbines with detailed focus on cavitation, vibrations, and pressure pulsations. Received EUR 167,850 in EC funding.
• HydroFlex
  Addresses a critical market need — increasing hydropower flexibility to complement intermittent renewables like wind and solar in evolving energy markets.
• ENSYSTRA
  Marie Curie training network (MSCA-ITN-ETN) on energy system transitions — shows Statkraft's commitment to training the next generation of energy researchers.