The Impact of Hydropower Development on Economic, Ecological, and Social Structures in Rural Norway During the Great Expansion Era 1945-1990

This paper examines the impact of the development of hydropower resources on the economic, ecological, and social structures in two rural areas of Norway, Western Norway and Northern Norway, during the great expansion era for hydro-power capacity building in Norway, between 1945 and 1990. The data basis for the study is formed by newspaper articles from both regions, which reported on hydropower during the period under consideration. The evaluation of this data provides a clear and differentiated picture of the influences of hydropower development in these two parts of the country. It can be seen that both Western Norway and Northern Norway were affected by changes due to the progressing hydropower expansions. However, to varying degrees - in Western Norway, hydropower development has had a much greater impact than in Northern Norway. This is reflected in a higher number of newspaper articles from Western Norway that contain references related to economic, ecological, and social effects — such as reports on hydropower development in connection with the establishment of new industrial plants or new traffic infrastructure, as well as with changes in wildlife. Furthermore, this study shows the potential of analyzing newspaper articles to better understand, evaluate, and tackle today’s challenges in the integration of renewable energy technologies worldwide.