There is an image of Forshuvud power station that captures something timeless: the solid building reflected in the still water, surrounded by birches and tall flowers. It looks peaceful, but appearances deceive. When the plant was commissioned in 1921, it was one of the country's most advanced hydropower installations, pumping vital energy into the company's rapidly growing industries.

The energy that drove industry

Stora Kopparberg's operations required enormous amounts of energy. The ironworks, pulp mills and steelworks all depended on power and the more the company expanded, the greater the need became. The solution lay in the waters of the Dal River.

Forshuvud power station, located upstream from Borlänge, was built to secure the energy supply for the company's industries. It was an ambitious project that involved important technical innovations at the time of its construction.

From water to power

The principle behind hydropower is simple: the height of the water's fall is converted into electricity via turbines and generators. But building and operating a power station on the scale that Forshuvud represented required advanced engineering.

Nor was the power station the only one. Stora Kopparberg systematically developed hydropower along the Dal River and its tributaries. All the power stations had sufficient capacity to cover the company's entire needs and also supply power to external customers.

A quiet giant

Over time, Stora Kopparberg became one of the largest individual power producers in Sweden, a position rarely noted but crucial to the company's success. Without cheap and reliable hydropower, neither the steelworks nor the pulp mills could have been run profitably.

Forshuvud power station still stands by the river, still in operation. The water runs through the turbines with the same force as a hundred years ago. It is a reminder that the best investments are sometimes the most patient ones.