Oulujoki

Oulujoki Ule älv
Oulujoki in the Laanila district of Ouluer
Data
Water code	FI : 59
location	Kainuu , Northern Ostrobothnia ( Finland )
River system	Oulujoki
origin	Oulujärvi 64 ° 33 '0 "  N , 26 ° 50' 0"  E
Source height	122.7  m
muzzle	Gulf of Bothnia Coordinates: 65 ° 1 ′ 0 ″  N , 25 ° 27 ′ 0 ″  E 65 ° 1 ′ 0 ″  N , 25 ° 27 ′ 0 ″  E
Mouth height	0  m
Height difference	122.7 m
Bottom slope	1.1 ‰
length	107 km
Catchment area	22,841.4 km²
Drain	MQ	250 m³ / s
Left tributaries	Muhosjoki
Right tributaries	Sanginjoki , Utosjoki , Kutujoki
Big cities	Oulu
Bridge over the Oulujoki
Merikoski hydropower plant in Oulu

The Oulujoki [ ˈɔu̯lujɔki ] ( Swedish Ule älv ) is the outflow of the Oulujärvi and flows into the Gulf of Bothnia near the Finnish city ​​of Oulu . The Turkansaari Open Air Museum is located on a river island .

Once a transport route for wood and tar, the oulujoki is now an important source of energy. Twelve hydropower plants with an installed capacity of 541 MW and a standard capacity of around 2,600 GWh per year are located on it.

Hydroelectric power plants on Oulujoki

Surname	completion position	Fall height in meters	Power in MW
Umm
Aitto
Seitenoikea
Leppikoski
Jylhämä	1952	11	50
Nuojua	1955	22nd	80
Utans	1957	15.6	55
Ala-utos	1957	6.2	0.5
Palli	1954	13.8	50
Pyhakoski	1951	32.4	120
Montta	1957	12.1	40
Merikoski	1954	11	39.2

Merikoski

Small power plants at Oulu were already generating electrical energy around 1900. In 1940 the construction of the Merikoski hydropower plant began. The first power feed took place 8 years later. In 1997 the dam was increased to 11 m. When it was completed, 500 people were responsible for operating the power plant; today there are 4.

The picture shows the view from the south from the center of Oulu to the pent-up Oulujoki. The dam forms a canal that guides the water to the turbine house in the background on the left. At high tide, the water flows over the dam into the old river bed on the left in the picture. The electric drives for the steel gates, which can lower the stowage level, are located in the machine houses in the center of the picture.

With an expansion water volume of 240 m³ / s, three turbines generate a total output of 39.2 MW. With an occupancy rate of 40–70%, the annual output is between 140–250 GWh. Under favorable conditions, Merikoski generates 1/3 of Oulu's electrical energy needs.

Web links

Commons : Oulujoki  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Oulujoki hydropower plants

Individual evidence

1. ↑ JÄRVIWIKI - Oulujärvi (yhd.)
2. ↑ Finnish Ministry of the Environment - Suomen päävesistöalueet -taulukko ( Memento of the original from December 4, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.