Nov 24, 2009. /Lesprom Network/. The Crown Princess of Norway opened the world’s first osmotic power plant, located at Södra’s pulp mill in Tofte, some 60 kilometers south of Oslo, as Nordic Paper Journal reported. The power plant, built by Norwegian energy company Statkraft, generates power by exploiting the energy available when fresh water and sea water are mixed. Osmotic power is a renewable and emissions-free energy source that Statkraft has been researching into for around ten years, and that will be capable of making a substantial global contribution to eco-friendly power production. The project has attracted a lot of interest both in Norway and abroad, and a number of foreign guests attended the opening. “In an era of major climate change and an increasing need for clean energy, we are proud to be presenting a renewable energy source, which has never been harnessed until now,” said Bård Mikkelsen, CEO of Statkraft. The prototype at Södra Cell Tofte pulp mill has been in development for more than a year. The power plant will have a limited production capacity and is intended primarily for testing and development purposes. Statkraft hopes is to be capable of constructing a commercial osmotic power plant within a few years’ time.