A successfull week at the World Geothermal Congress

Company representatives took an active part in the World Geothermal Congress, which took place in Calgary, Canada at the beginning of June.

Our Executive Director of Wind and Geothermal, Dr. Bjarni Pálsson is also the President of the International Geothermal Association, and Iceland was the co-host nation of the congress along with Canada.

Deirdre Clark from Iceland GeoSurvey, Helga Margrét Helgadóttir from ÍSOR, Anette Kærgaard og Julia Lee Reimer from Landsvirkjun

The Iceland Booth at the expedition

Alma Stefánsdóttir from Landsvirkjun and Viktoría Alfreðsdóttir from Green by Iceland

The Landsvirkjun Team

Business Iceland managed Iceland's participation and organised, among other things, the event 'Our Climate Future', where Bjarni was a panelist.

Bjarni Pálsson, Terra Rogers Director, Clean Air Task Force at Super-Hot Geothermal, Sævar Freyr Þráinsson CEO, Reykjavík Energy and Randal Wichuk, President of Teverra.

Alma Stefánsdóttir and Jónas Ketilsson presented scientific papers on gas handling. They also helped plan, and participated in leading an international workshop on gas in connection with geothermal energy production:

The IEA Geothermal Gas Management Task strengthened its work in standardizing reporting methods for geothermal greenhouse gas emissions.

Deirdre Clark from Iceland GeoSurvey, Alma Gytha Huntington-Williams from HS Orka and Alma Stefánsdóttir at Landsvirkjun

Anna Björg Guðjónsdóttir with BBA//Fjeldco and Jónas Ketilsson from Landsvirkjun

A lively debate

The workshop was organised by the Geothermal Technology Collaboration Programme of the International Energy Agency (IEA), and its objective was to formulate a strategy for the coming years, as it is important that gas emissions from geothermal utilisation are well documented and harmonised between countries.

Landsvirkjun's specialists gave various talks, held workshops and presented scientific papers at the conference. In total, there were 15 representatives from the company.

Hilmar Már Einarsson and Sigurður Óli Guðmundsson presented the topping turbine at Þeistareykir.

Hilmar Már Einarsson

Sigurður Óli Guðmundsson

Anette K. Mortensen discussed natural hazards and geothermal utilisation.

Anette K. Mortensen

Anette K. Mortensen

Jónas Ketilsson presented the first multinational article that summarises natural emissions and emissions from the geothermal utilisation of nations. The article is written with numerous partners within IEA Geothermal and also discusses regulations and the methodology of emissions accounting, as well as the inconsistencies that exist in this area.

Alma Stefánsdóttir

Alma Stefánsdóttir presented a paper on how the design of the process cycle of geothermal power plants has a direct impact on the technical complexity and potential for utilisation and/or reinjection of geothermal gases.

Julia Lee Reimer presented, among other things, how the chemical composition of individual boreholes could be used to assess the connection between fractures at Þeistareykir.

Julia Lee Reimer

Valur Knútsson and Kjartan Steinar Gíslason presented the new topping unit at Þeistareykir at the Iceland booth.

The topping unit will utilise the high pressure within the steam gathering system that is currently discarded, making it possible to improve the efficiency of the geothermal fluid.

Valur Knútsson presenting

Kjartan Steinar Gíslason and Valur Knútsson presenting the new topping unit

At the closing ceremony, Bjarni handed the torch to Kenya, where the next congress will be held in three years. The congress was considered a great success and Landsvirkjun's contribution was very well received.

Bjarni Pálsson and Peter Njenga, CEO of Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), the largest power company in East Africa.