![Augustin Paus](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/Augustin_Paus.jpg)
Augustin Thoresen Paus (22 July 1881, in
Christiania – 20 September 1945) was a Norwegian engineer and industrial leader in the
hydropower
Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, converting the Pot ...
industry. From 1918 he led the construction of the
hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
power plant at
Rånåsfoss
Rånåsfoss is a village in Akershus, Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scan ...
, one of the largest in Europe. Following the construction of the plant, he was the first
managing director
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
of
Akershus Energi
Akershus Energi is a Norwegian power company that produces hydroelectricity.
Production
Annual production is 2.3 TWh. There are five plants in Glomma, three in Haldensvassdraget, and two in Skiensvassdraget.
History
The company was founded in 19 ...
from 1922 until his death in 1945.
[Augustin Thoresen Paus](_blank)
''Hvem er Hvem?
''Hvem er hvem?'' ( en, Who is Who?) was a Norwegian book series, presenting facts about notable persons from Norway. The first edition was issued in 1912, and the 14th edition came in 1994. In the 2008 edition, edited by Knut Olav Åmås, one thou ...
'', 1930 He was "one of the most prominent leaders in the Norwegian energy industry" until his death.
Career
At age 15 he put to sea without parental permission and only returned two years later in 1898 to pass his
examen artium
Examen artium was the name of the academic certification conferred in Denmark and Norway, qualifying the student for admission to university studies. Examen artium was originally introduced as the entrance exam of the University of Copenhagen in 1 ...
university entrance exam in 1900. He graduated from the
Norwegian Military Academy
The Norwegian Military Academy (), in Oslo, educates officers of the Norwegian Army and serves as the King's Royal Guard. The academy was established in 1750, and is the oldest institution for higher education in Norway.
History
The Commander- ...
in 1901 and became a second lieutenant in the
Norwegian Army
The Norwegian Army ( no, Hæren) is the land warfare service branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces. The Army is the oldest of the Norwegian service branches, established as a modern military organization under the command of the King of Norway ...
from 1901 and a first lieutenant from 1914. He graduated as an engineer from the
Dresden University of Technology
TU Dresden (for german: Technische Universität Dresden, abbreviated as TUD and often wrongly translated as "Dresden University of Technology") is a public research university, the largest institute of higher education in the city of Dresden, th ...
in 1906. After living in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
1906–1907, he became an engineer at
A/S Rjukanfos, working with
Sam Eyde
Samuel Eyde (29 October 1866 – 21 June 1940) was a Norwegian engineer and industrialist. He was the founder of both Norsk Hydro and Elkem.
Personal life
Eyde was born in Arendal in Aust-Agder, Norway. He was a son of ship-owner Samuel Eyde (181 ...
. He was chief engineer in the hydropower project in the
Arendal
Arendal () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder counties of Norway, county in southeastern Norway. Arendal belongs to the Districts of Norway, region of Southern Norway, Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the munici ...
watercourse from 1912, chief engineer at
Elkem
Elkem is a company that produces silicones, silicon, alloys for the foundry industry, carbon and microsilica, and other materials. Elkem was founded in 1904, has more than 7,000 employees and fields 30 production sites worldwide. Elkem has an ope ...
from 1915 and chief engineer in the construction of Bjølvo power plant in
Hardanger
Hardanger is a traditional district in the western part of Norway, dominated by the Hardangerfjord and its inner branches of the Sørfjorden and the Eid Fjord. It consists of the municipalities of Ullensvang, Eidfjord, Ulvik and Kvam, and is l ...
from 1916. He became chief engineer and head of development for the construction of the Rånåsfoss power plant in 1918. At its peak, he was in charge in 1,200 employees at the construction site. He was the first
managing director
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
of
Akershus Energi
Akershus Energi is a Norwegian power company that produces hydroelectricity.
Production
Annual production is 2.3 TWh. There are five plants in Glomma, three in Haldensvassdraget, and two in Skiensvassdraget.
History
The company was founded in 19 ...
from 1922 until his death in 1945. He became one of the foremost leaders of the hydropower industry in Norway and has been described as the "
absolute ruler
Autocracy is a system of government in which absolute power over a state is concentrated in the hands of one person, whose decisions are subject neither to external legal restraints nor to regularized mechanisms of popular control (except perh ...
" of the industrial community at Rånåsfoss. Although a director's villa was built for him at Rånåsfoss, he eventually moved back to Oslo, and led the company from its Oslo office in Kongens gate 14.
He was elected by the Parliament as a deputy member of the board of the directors of the
Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate
The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate ( no, Norges vassdrags- og energidirektorat or NVE) is a Norwegian government agency established in 1921. It is under the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy and regulates the country's water reso ...
from 1919. He was chairman of the board of directors of
Norsk Folkemuseum
Norsk Folkemuseum (Norwegian Museum of Cultural History), at Bygdøy, Oslo, Norway, is a museum of cultural history with extensive collections of artifacts from all social groups and all regions of the country. It also incorporates a large open- ...
, chairman of the board of directors of
Glommens og Laagens Brukseierforening, chairman of the board of directors of Funnefoss Tresliperi og Elektrisitetsverk, chairman of the board of directors of A/S Brødbølfoss Elektrisitetsverk, a co-founder and chairman of the board of directors of Foreningen Samkjøringen (the predecessor of both
Nord Pool Spot
Nord Pool AS is a pan-European power exchange. Nord Pool has a main office in Oslo and further offices in Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallinn, Berlin and London. The company is owned by the European exchange operator Euronext as well as TSO Holding, ...
, the largest power market in Europe, and of
NASDAQ OMX Commodities Europe
NASDAQ OMX Commodities Europe is a trade name of NASDAQ OMX Oslo ASA, the single financial energy market for Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland. Before 1 November 2010, it was known by the name Nord Pool (not to be confused with the physical en ...
), and a board member of other power companies. He published a book on the construction of the Rånåsfoss plant in 1925.
["Paus, Augustin," ''Studentene fra 1900 : biografiske opplysninger samlet til 50-års-jubileet 1950'', Oslo, 1950, pp. 130–131]
The road Pausvegen at Rånåsfoss is named in his honour (
Akershus Energi
Akershus Energi is a Norwegian power company that produces hydroelectricity.
Production
Annual production is 2.3 TWh. There are five plants in Glomma, three in Haldensvassdraget, and two in Skiensvassdraget.
History
The company was founded in 19 ...
is headquartered in Pausvegen 6).
[Fredrik Lindstrøm, "Vegnavn i Sørum", Blaker og Sørum historielag, no. 6, 1998]
Personal life
Augustin Paus was a son of the theologian
Bernhard Pauss
Bernhard Cathrinus Pauss (born 6 April 1839 at Tangen, Drammen, died 9 November 1907 in Christiania) was a Norwegian theologian, educator, author and humanitarian and missionary leader, who was a major figure in girls' education in Norway in his ...
and
Anna Henriette Wegner, and was a grandson of the industrialist
Benjamin Wegner
Jacob Benjamin Wegner (21 February 1795 – 9 June 1864) was a Norwegian business magnate, estate owner and timber merchant.
Born in Königsberg, East Prussia, he moved to London in 1819 and to Berlin in 1820, where he established an independ ...
and Henriette
Seyler (whose family owned
Berenberg Bank
Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co. KG, commonly known as Berenberg Bank and also branded as simply Berenberg, is a multinational full-service investment bank based in Hamburg, Germany.
It was founded by the Flemish Berenberg family in 1590 () and ...
).
He was married to Helga Jacobsen, daughter of ship-owner from
Flekkefjord
is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Lister. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Flekkefjord. The villages of Sira, Gyland, Rasvåg, Kirkehavn, and Åna-Sira are lo ...
and Member of Parliament
Hans Sivert Jacobsen
Hans Syvert Jacobsen (3 August 1836 – 28 June 1901) was a Norwegian politician for the Liberal Party of Norway, Liberal Party.
He was elected to the Parliament of Norway in 1898, representing the constituency of Flekkefjord. He worked as a merch ...
.
He had four sons, among them the industrial leader
Bernhard Paus, long-time CEO of
Nora
Nora, NORA, or Norah may refer to:
* Nora (name), a feminine given name
People with the surname
* Arlind Nora (born 1980), Albanian footballer
* Pierre Nora (born 1931), French historian
Places Australia
* Norah Head, New South Wales, headlan ...
.
Publications
*Aug
stinPaus, ''Akershus elektricitetsverk og utbygningen av Raanaasfoss kraftverk'', Oslo, Grøndahl, 1925, 170 pages
Literature
*Bjørnsen, Bjørn, ''En fortelling om fossen og samfunnet'', , 1997
*Hoel, Kari, ''Rånåsfoss kraftverk'', Rånåsfoss, 1989
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paus, Augustin
20th-century Norwegian businesspeople
Norwegian Army personnel
Norsk Hydro people
Norwegian expatriates in Germany
Norwegian expatriates in the United Kingdom
Businesspeople from Oslo
Augustin
Burials at Vestre gravlund
1881 births
1945 deaths
TU Dresden alumni
Norwegian Military Academy alumni
Norwegian sailors
20th-century Norwegian engineers