Landssamanslutninga av Vasskraftkommunar (LVK) is a Norwegian interest group. It groups municipalities

Municipalities of Norway

Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...

 that are involved in hydropower

Hydropower

Hydropower, hydraulic power, hydrokinetic power or water power is power that is derived from the force or energy of falling water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes. Since ancient times, hydropower has been used for irrigation and the operation of various mechanical devices, such as...

 production.

Established in 1978, in 2004 it had a membership of 150 municipalities, accounting for 60% of the area of Norway, but only 16% of the population. Among the member municipalities, all counties

Counties of Norway

Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 430 municipalities...

 are represented except for Oslo

Oslo

Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

, Akershus

Akershus

- Geography :The county is conventionally divided into the traditional districts Follo and Romerike, which fill the vast part of the county, as well as the small exclave west of Oslo that consists of Asker and Bærum...

 and Vestfold

Vestfold

is a county in Norway, bordering Buskerud and Telemark. The county administration is in Tønsberg.Vestfold is located west of the Oslofjord, as the name indicates. It includes many smaller, but well-known towns in Norway, such as Larvik, Sandefjord, Tønsberg and Horten. The river Numedalslågen runs...

. While Oslo is not a member of LVK, its headquarters are nonetheless located there.

The national leader is Børre Rønningen

Børre Rønningen

Børre Rønningen is a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party.He previously represented the Socialist Left Party. For this party he was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Telemark in 1989, and was re-elected on one occasion...

, mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 of Vinje

Vinje

Vinje is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Vest-Telemark. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Åmot.-Name:...

. Ingvald Godal

Ingvald Godal

Ingvald Godal is a Norwegian politician for the Centre Party and later the Conservative Party. For the former party he was a State Secretary as well as mayor of Vinje; for the latter party he served four terms in the Norwegian Parliament...

, a former mayor of Vinje, chaired LVK from 1977 to 1985.

It maintains good ties with the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities

Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities

The Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities is an employers' organisation in Norway.It was founded in 1972 as a merger between the Union of Norwegian Cities and the Norwegian Association of Rural Municipalities...

 (KS). It has faced the employers' organisation Norwegian Electricity Industry Association

Norwegian Electricity Industry Association

The Norwegian Electricity Industry Association is an employers' organisation in Norway, organized under the national Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise.The current CEO is Steinar Bysveen. Chairman of the board is Ola Mørkved Rinnan....

(EBL) as an opponent on many occasions, despite the fact that many of the companies that comprise the Electricity Industry Association are owned by LVK member municipalities.

It publishes the magazine LVK-nytt.