Blanda Power Station

Blanda Power Station was commissioned in 1991. It is located on the northern edge of the highlands near the end of the Kjalvegur Mountain Road. To the north is a view over the Blöndudalur Valley where River Blanda flows out to the sea near the town of Blönduós. The Blanda Station is an underground plant, located approximately 230 metres below the surface.

The river flows through grassy fields in the lowlands, but its source is in a region that only a few decades ago was a desert. After the creation of a 56 km² storage reservoir, extensive revegetation efforts were initiated. Since 1981, Landsvirkjun has cultivated over 5000 hectares at an altitude of 400–600 m by fertiliser treatment and sowing. This is one of the most extensive reclamation projects ever undertaken in Iceland’s highlands.

A dam was built in the River Blanda near the Reftjarnarbunga Hill, an ideal area for a reservoir. A dam was also built near the source of the River Kolkukvísl which flowed into River Vatnsdalsá. These dams formed the Blanda Reservoir, which has a live storage capacity of 412 Gl and is the third-largest lake in Iceland. From the Kolka Dam, the water is diverted through diversion canals and lakes on a 25 km long route to the station’s intake reservoir, Gilsárlón. The reservoir has an area of 5 km² and has a live storage capacity of 20 Gl.

From the intake reservoir, water runs through a 1300 m long canal to the station’s intake, where it is diverted to the turbines in the powerhouse. The drop to the turbines from the harnessed head is 287 m. From the turbines, the water is lead through a 1700 m tailrace tunnel back into the river course.