On average, 122 terawatt hours a year are currently produced by about 550 power stations all over the country. These have a total generating capacity (installed power) of more than 30,2000 MW, and a water storage capacity  equivalent to 84.3 terawatt hours. In 2006, hydropower generated 119.729 TWh, while thermal power stations generated 1.035 TWh and wind-power 0.636 TWh.

Since the implementation recently of the Energy Act, which deregulated the market, focus has turned to changes in operating conditions. These involve more starts and stops and more active regulation of generating equipment. There is also a sharper focus on how such machinery can be utilised more efficiently with the aid of new, improved turbine wheels and distributors (for example, Pelton turbine needles and guide vanes for Francis turbines).

SINTEF is involved in a number of projects for the Scandinavian electricity generating industry, either directly on behalf of individual electricity generation and distribution companies or via their industrial organisation EBL. The focus continues to be on the operation and maintenance of the electricity generation system and its components, and on the electric power market. Current problems include technical and financial operations, upgrading existing plant, changed and new regulation regimes, system and component reliability, power supply sensitivity analyses, the financial and environmentally responsible management of hydropower schemes, and the development of methods and planning tools for analysing and decision-making in the electric power market.