Kárahnjúkar Hydro Project
Electricity generation at Kárahnjúkar Power Project began in November 2007 when the plant was officially brought on-line. Diverse work is underway (2009) involving putting finishing touches and completing current projects.
- In the Hrauna area, work sites are being cleaned up.
- In the Hafrahvammur canyon, a 20 m-high dam is being built to form a pool below the Kárahnjúkar dam. Water that flows over the dam's spillway will not, therefore, fall with full force onto the rock below. The water in the pool will reduce the force.
An extensive environmental impact assessment was carried out before construction began at Kárahnjúkar. The assessment was completed in 2001 with a ruling from the Minister for the Environment. The energy production at the Kárahnjúkar Project is transmitted to the Fjardarál aluminium smelter at Reydarfjördur on the East Coast of Iceland. A contract with the company Alcoa was signed in March 2003.
Road construction and other preparatory works started in the second half of 2002, and actual project construction began in the spring of 2003 after the power contract had been signed.
The Kárahnjúkar Power Project generates 690 MW using six generating units. The average flow through Fljótsdalur Station is approximately 110 m3 per second. The maximum possible flow is approximately 144 m3 per second. The station's generating capacity is around 4,600 GWh per year. Power and energy development in Iceland increased by just less than 60% with the addition of the power plant.
Further information on the Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Project >>
More detailed information about the project can be found on website of the Kárahnjúkar Power Project, www.karahnjukar.is. The website is no longer updated but does provide information on the project's development.