Rainpower

Rainpower AS is a Norwegian industrial company focused on equipment and services for hydroelectric power generation. Its offering covers the engineering, manufacture, sale, modernization, and servicing of key components used in hydropower facilities. The company is associated with a long Norwegian industrial heritage that reaches back to the establishment of Kvaerner Brug AS in 1853 by Oluf A. Onsum. Over subsequent decades, Kværner expanded its hydraulic-equipment activities and added capabilities obtained from several established European engineering businesses, including NOHAB, KMW, and Tampella. The modern Rainpower organization emerged from the restructuring of the hydropower businesses owned by General Electric and its predecessor Kværner. In 1999, General Electric acquired Kværner's hydropower business for a reported US$70.5 million and combined it with GE's existing hydro division under the GE Hydro name. GE later decided to withdraw from the hydropower-equipment sector. In 2005, GE Hydro sold its Sørumsand workshop to NLI AS. NLI subsequently acquired the rest of GE's Norwegian hydro business in 2007 and established Rainpower ASA as the successor organization for those activities. The remaining GE Hydro business was later sold to Andritz. Rainpower's technical scope includes the principal turbine types used in hydropower stations: Pelton, Francis, Kaplan, and reversible pump turbines. These technologies address different hydraulic conditions and plant configurations, ranging from high-head installations to lower-head schemes and pumped-storage applications. In addition to turbine machinery, Rainpower supplies turbine governors, oil-pressure systems, valve-control equipment, exciters, valves, gates, pipes, and other equipment connected with water conveyance, turbine control, and electrical generation. The company also provides related engineering and project services rather than operating solely as a component manufacturer. The business is headquartered at Kjeller near Oslo and is rooted in Norway's specialized mechanical and hydraulic-engineering sector. Its positioning is that of a technology and project partner for hydropower owners, operators, and developers, with value derived from equipment design, manufacturing heritage, refurbishment capability, and integration of mechanical, hydraulic, and control systems. Public reference material does not provide a complete current geographic-market breakdown, revenue profile, executive roster, or official corporate website. Reported ownership information from 2012 stated that Rainpower ASA was wholly owned by Børre Nordheim-Larsen through NLI Utvikling III AS and NLI AS.

Rainpower's corporate and technical lineage is connected to the development of Norway's hydraulic and mechanical-engineering industry. The earliest predecessor identified in reference material is Kvaerner Brug AS, founded in 1853 by Oluf A. Onsum. Kværner later expanded its industrial base and developed a substantial hydraulic-equipment business. It also incorporated capabilities from other engineering companies, including NOHAB, KMW, and Tampella. This accumulation of design and manufacturing expertise created the industrial foundation that would eventually pass through several different owners and corporate identities. In 1999, General Electric acquired Kværner's hydropower business for a reported US$70.5 million. GE combined the acquired operation with its own hydro division and operated the resulting business under the GE Hydro name. The transaction placed the Norwegian hydraulic-engineering activities within a global industrial group, while retaining their connection to specialized turbine and hydropower-equipment manufacturing. GE subsequently pursued a strategy of leaving the hydropower-equipment industry. In 2005, it sold the Sørumsand workshop to NLI AS. The workshop was an important part of the Norwegian operation and its transfer to NLI began the separation of the local business from GE. Two years later, NLI acquired GE's complete Norwegian hydro business and established Rainpower ASA. Rainpower therefore represented both a new corporate identity and the continuation of an older Norwegian hydropower-equipment tradition. The remaining GE Hydro business outside the Norwegian operation was later sold to Andritz. Rainpower continued with a portfolio centered on hydroelectric-generation equipment. Its turbine range includes Pelton machines for high-head applications, Francis turbines for a broad range of hydro schemes, Kaplan turbines for lower-head applications, and reversible pump turbines associated with pumped-storage systems. The company also supplies small hydropower plants and supporting equipment such as governors, oil-pressure systems, valve controllers, exciters, valves, gates, and pipes. Rainpower's activities extend beyond the sale of individual machines. The product range indicates an integrated engineering role involving turbine design, plant equipment, control systems, water-flow components, and services related to hydropower installations. Its headquarters at Kjeller, near Oslo, places the company within Norway's established energy and engineering environment. Ownership information reported for 2012 stated that Børre Nordheim-Larsen controlled Rainpower ASA through NLI Utvikling III AS and NLI AS. Publicly available reference material does not establish a complete account of later ownership changes, current executives, financial performance, or geographic sales markets.

• 2012

  Reported ownership by Børre Nordheim-Larsen

  [1]Rainpoweren.wikipedia.org

  Reference material reported that Rainpower ASA was wholly owned by Børre Nordheim-Larsen through NLI Utvikling III AS and NLI AS.

• 2007

  Rainpower ASA is established

  [1]Rainpoweren.wikipedia.org

  NLI acquired GE's complete Norwegian hydro business and created Rainpower ASA.

• 2005

  NLI acquires the Sørumsand workshop

  [1]Rainpoweren.wikipedia.org

  NLI AS purchased GE Hydro's Sørumsand workshop during GE's withdrawal from the hydropower sector.

• 1999

  GE acquires Kværner's hydropower business

  [1]Rainpoweren.wikipedia.org

  General Electric acquired Kværner's hydropower business for a reported US$70.5 million and merged it with GE Hydro.

• 1853

  Kvaerner Brug is established

  [1]Rainpoweren.wikipedia.org

  Oluf A. Onsum established Kvaerner Brug AS, the earliest corporate predecessor identified in Rainpower's industrial heritage.

A Norwegian hydropower-equipment and engineering specialist serving hydroelectric generation projects with turbines, balance-of-plant equipment, control systems, and related technical services.

• Hydropower turbines

  Pelton turbines

  Impulse turbines designed for hydropower stations with high hydraulic head and comparatively lower flow. Rainpower identifies Pelton turbines as one of its principal turbine technologies, supplied within its broader equipment and engineering portfolio.

• Hydropower turbines

  Francis turbines

  Reaction turbines used across a wide range of heads and flows and commonly deployed in medium-head hydropower facilities. Rainpower lists Francis turbines among its core products and provides them as part of its hydroelectric-generation equipment business.

• Hydropower turbines

  Kaplan turbines

  Adjustable-blade reaction turbines suited to lower-head, higher-flow applications. They form part of Rainpower's stated turbine range and support the company's role as a supplier of equipment for different hydropower-site conditions.

• Pumped-storage equipment

  Reversible pump turbines

  Reversible machines capable of operating as both pumps and turbines, supporting pumped-storage and other reversible hydropower configurations. Rainpower includes this technology in its portfolio of generation equipment.

• Hydropower systems and services

  Hydropower control and balance-of-plant equipment

  A supporting portfolio comprising turbine governors, oil-pressure systems, valve controllers, exciters, valves, gates, pipes, and related equipment. These products complement turbine supply and allow Rainpower to participate in wider plant-equipment and modernization projects.

• Hydropower projects

  Small hydropower plants

  Equipment and related services for smaller-scale hydropower installations. Public reference material identifies small hydropower plants among Rainpower's business offerings but does not specify a standardized product series or current project range.

• 2007

  NLI acquires GE's Norwegian hydro business and creates RainpowerM&A

  Background

  General Electric was divesting from the hydropower industry, while NLI had already acquired GE Hydro's Sørumsand workshop in 2005.

  Action taken

  NLI bought GE's complete Norwegian hydro business and established Rainpower ASA.

  Aftermath

  Rainpower became the operating identity for the Norwegian hydropower-equipment activities and retained the predecessor businesses' turbine and hydraulic-engineering capabilities.

  Source

• 1999

  GE acquires Kværner's hydropower businessM&A

  Background

  Kværner's hydropower operation was acquired as part of General Electric's expansion and consolidation of hydro-related activities.

  Action taken

  GE purchased the business for a reported US$70.5 million and combined it with its own hydro division under the GE Hydro name.

  Aftermath

  The business later became part of the Norwegian operation that NLI acquired and reorganized as Rainpower.

  Acquisition price. US$70.5 million (1999)

  Source

1. 1Rainpoweren.wikipedia.org
2. 2Rainpower's hydro heritagewaterpowermagazine.com