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International Projects

Landsvirkjun has a broad range of competencies embedded within its in-house team, achieved through the development, delivery, and operation of major domestic and international power projects.

Growth and Partnerships

Over the past 20 years, Landsvirkjun has doubled its generation capacity in Iceland, from 1.1GW to 2.2GW, through development, construction and commissioning of new hydropower and geothermal assets. International investments are viewed as an opportunity to strengthen long-term value creation, diversify portfolio risk, and further develop organisational capabilities.

Through co-development and co-investment partnerships, Landsvirkjun contributes across the full project lifecycle, development, construction, and operation, with the objective of strengthening project prospects, improving bankability, and enhancing long-term returns.

Past Projects

Below is an overview of international projects in which Landsvirkjun has been involved over the years in various capacities.

Hydropower

  • Our Role: O&M Services

    The facilities comprise an intake pond, intake, 1.2 km long GRP penstock and a powerhouse. An outlet structure enables controlled release from an upstream reservoir which provides seasonal storage capacity for the power plant. The plant, commissioned in 2004, harnesses a gross head of 100 m in one Turgo type turbine.

    Landsvirkjun has since 2012 provided Nukissiorfiit with operations and maintenance services for the power plant.

    Landsvirkjun has for several years provided operations and maintenance services for all hydropower stations and associated transmission lines in Greenland for Greenlandic power company Nukissiorfiit.

  • Our role: Co-developer and owner

    The Akhalkalaki HPP is co-owned by Landsvirkjun and two privately owned Georgian companies. Landsvirkjun was an active participant in the development including feasibility study, tender design, procurement of civil works and equipment, and finally construction and commissioning in 2022.

    The run-of-the river project harnesses two rivers. The two powerhouses, equipped with Francis turbines, are located close to the confluence of the two rivers. Headworks including fish passes and facilities providing ecological flow are constructed on both rivers, diverting the harnessed flow into 3,3 km and 1,9 km long penstocks. Rated discharge is 15,0 m3/s and 2,8 m3/s while the gross head is 61 m and 71 m, respectively. Generated electricity is connected to a 35kV transmission line.

  • Our role: Feasibility study

    The work consisted of preparation of a feasibility study for 4 run-of-river hydropower projects on the Khrami river in Southern Georgia, with a total capacity of about 40 MW. Three of the projects have steel penstocks as waterways whereas the fourth project will have tunnels.

    The work was done in cooperation with Verkís of Iceland and Hydrotechnic LLC of Georgia. The client was Khrami Cascade LLC of Georgia.

  • Our role: Owner’s Engineer

    NVE (The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate) contracted Landsvirkjun as Owner‘s Engineer for emergency repair and rehabilitation of five hydropower plants in Tanzania, ranging from 8 MW to 300 MW.

    The owner is Tanesco, Tanzania‘s State Electric Power Company. The services covered review of tenders, contracting, project supervision, design review, site supervision and monitoring of refurbishing work, commissioning and guaranteeing inspections.

    The work was done in cooperation with Verkís of Iceland.

  • Our role: Owner’s Engineer

    The 108 MW Dariali Hydroelectric Project harnesses the Tergi River in Northern Georgia from an elevation of 1734 to 1350 m. It involves a small dam, settling basin and a 2 km long diversion pipeline, followed by a 5 km long TBM bored headrace tunnel to an underground powerhouse with 3 Pelton units.

    The services included a feasibility study, tender design and preparation of tender documents, detail design of civil works and review of the design of electromechanical equipment.

    The work was done in a joint venture with the consulting firm Verkis of Iceland.

  • Our role: Early development

    In May of 2014, Landsvirkjun signed a partnership agreement with the Romanian company MHC Green Investment SRL with the purpose to apply for a grant from the EEA Grants in Romania, RO 06 Renewable Energy Programme (RONDINE) for development of small hydroelectric project on the river Mara in Northern Romania. The grant was awarded in the autumn of 2014.

    The task of Landsvirkjun was to provide technical assistance during preparation and implementation stage of the project.

  • Our role: Feasibility study and Owner’s Engineer

    The work involved site investigations and feasibility study of four hydropower projects on the Tskhenistskali river in North-Western Georgia.

    The total capacity was estimated about 350 MW and annual generation about 1744 GWh. The project was to consist of an upstream storage reservoir connected to the Ludji HPP, followed by two run-of-river projects, Mukhra HPP 60 MW and Lentekhi HPP 81 MW. Further downstream the Tsageri HPP, 151 MW was planned. The results of the study were that the upper two projects and the reservoir were not considered economical but that the two downstream projects should be further developed.

    The work was done in cooperation with Verkís of Iceland and with some sub-consultants in Georgia. The client was the Georgian Co-Investment Fund.

  • Our role: Owner’s Engineer

    Landsvirkjun carried out design review and headrace tunnel condition assessment.

    First part of the work was done in the summer of 2014 and involved a review of design drawings and design documents of the 6,6 MW Kintrishi hydropower project located in Western Georgia. The review resulted in recommendations, mainly concerning the 1,8 km long headrace tunnel which was designed as a fully concrete lined tunnel.

    Second part of the project was done in summer of 2015 and consisted of a visit to the site and inspection of the headrace tunnel which was about 50% excavated. Extensive recommendations were provided as to excavation and rock support of the tunnel. The client was Hydro Power Development LLC of Georgia. The work was done in cooperation with Verkís of Iceland.

  • Our role: Early Development

    The work consisted of preparation of a feasibility study for 5 run-of-river hydropower projects on the Supsa river in Western Georgia, with a total capacity of about 40 MW. Two of the projects will have steel penstocks as waterways whereas the other three projects will have tunnels.

    The work was done in cooperation with Verkís of Iceland and Georgian Water Project of Georgia. The client was JSC Supsa Energy of Georgia.

  • Our role: Project delivery and operation advise

    The 22,5 MW Ilulissat hydropower project near the town of Ilulissat in Western Greenland involved the harnessing of the outflow of two natural lakes by constructing water tunnels into the bottom of both lakes. The headrace tunnel is 1,3 km and the diversion tunnel is 1,0 km long.

    The power station is underground with three Francis units, 7,5 MW each. The utilised head is 186 m and design discharge is 15 m3/s. The 60 kV transmission line to Ilulissat is 50 km long. The estimated annual generation is 65 GWh.

    Services included:

    • Management of all control system contracts.
    • Direction of commissioning.
    • Technical management of operations for the first 2 years of operations.

  • Our role: Owner’s Engineer

    The work consisted of design review of a front-end engineering design of the 14,6 MW Tsablari 2 hydropower project on the Tsablaristskali river in western Georgia.

    The project is a run-of-river scheme with a 5,2 km long headrace tunnel and a surface powerhouse. The work resulted in revised design proposals which could reduce construction time and save 15-20% of the estimated investment cost.

    A review of the environmental and social impact assessment was included. The client was the Georgian Energy Development Fund. The work was done in cooperation with Verkís of Iceland.

  • Our role: Life Extension and Modernisation Program

    Provision of expert assistance to Nova Scotia Power Inc. for Life Extension and Modernisation Program for older hydropower stations in Nova Scotia.

    The work included turbine efficiency measurements, review of various refurbishment studies, risk assessments on underground stations, and consulting on plant automation.

    In addition, pre-feasibility studies for different options on pumped storage projects have been prepared.

  • Our role: Feasibility study

    The planned Machakhela hydroelectric projects are to be constructed on the Machakhela River in S-W Georgia. Each of the stations will be 20-25 MW. The projects will harness the head from an elevation of 352 to 101 m.

    Each of the projects will have a concrete dam, headrace tunnel, tributary river intake and a surface powerhouse housing 2 Francis units. The rated discharge will be approx 20 m3/s. Landsvirkjun’s services included a feasibility study. The work was done in a joint venture with the consulting firm Verkis of Iceland.

  • Our role: Contractor‘s Advisory

    The 225 MW Changuinola Hydroelectric Project harnesses the natural flow of the Changuinola and Culubre River. It involves the construction of a 100 m high RCC dam, a 4,5 km long headrace tunnel, and an underground power station with two units.

    Landsvirkjun provided a senior electromechanical expert for about 15 months to assist the EPC contractor in the installation, testing and commissioning of the power units.

  • Our role: Installation, commissioning and operation

    The 7,2 MW Qorlortorsuaq hydropower project is in south western Greenland. The project harnesses the outflow of water from a natural lake in the area by constructing a headrace tunnel into the bottom of the lake and raising the lake level by 7 m by a small dam. The headrace tunnel runs 220 m through a hill and is connected to a 280 m long steel penstock, feeding two horizontal axis Francis turbines, in a conventional powerhouse.

    A short tailrace canal directs the turbine water to the sea. The harnessed head is approximately 125 m. The project supplies renewable energy to the towns of Narsaq and Qaqortoq by approximately 70 km of 66kV transmission lines.

    Services included:

    • The procurement of electromechanical equipment.
    • The supervision of equipment installation.
    • The commissioning and setting up of maintenance and operation programs.
    • The training of operators, and operation for the first 5 years.

  • Our role: Commissioning and operation

    The 15 MW Sisimiut hydropower project in western Greenland, north of the town Sisimiut, harnesses the outflow of a natural lake by constructing a headrace tunnel into the bottom of the lake and thus creating a reservoir. The headrace tunnel is 4.1 km long and will feed a 420 m long pressure tunnel to an underground powerhouse, housing two Francis units, each being 7.5 MW.

    The harnessed head is 79m and the design flow is 22m3/s. Power is transferred from a GIS substation, using a 26km long 66kV transmission line, to the town of Sisimiut.

    Services included:

    • Assistance during commissioning
    • Recommendations in regard to the improvement of operation systems
    • Setting up maintenance and operation programs
    • Training operators and technical management of operations during the one year guarantee period

  • Our role: Owner’s Engineer

    The 75MW Ambuklao project is located in the Benguet province of the Luzon Island in the Philippines, harnessing the Agno River. The headwaters of the Agno River are on the slopes of Mt. Data in the Cordillera Mountains at an elevation of 2,090 m. The project site is reached from Baguio City by the Ambuklao road which runs parallel to the Agno. The Ambuklao Hydroelectric Power Plant has generated an average of 440 GWh from the first year of operation, in 1957 and up to the end of 1989.

    The refurbishment involved a new intake structure, some other major civil works and total replacement of the electromechanical equipment with an upgrade in capital to 105 MW. The services of Landsvirkjun included provision of Electromechanical Engineer during the refurbishment work.

Geothermal

  • Our role: Early development and project delivery advise

    The project included the first 50 MW phase of the overall planned intention to develop a 500 MW geothermal power plant in four phases. The geothermal area is located about 100 km south east of the capital city Addis Ababa.

    The work was carried out under a contract between Landsvirkjun and a joint venture of the Icelandic consulting companies Mannvit and Verkís.

    The scope of works included consulting assistance for tendering of drilling works and various materials related to drilling activities, such as wellheads, casings and water supply material. The assistance included review of tender documents and management of tendering process and contract negotiations.

  • Our role: Owner’s Engineer

    The main objective of the project was to verify whether a geothermal resource of commercial importance is present in the area of Mt. Olca volcano in Chile. It was a challenging project at an elevation of 5062 m.

    The client was Compañia Minera Doña Ines de Collahuasi in Chile. The work was executed under a contract between the Icelandic companies ÍSOR and Verkís and the Client. Landsvirkjun was a subcontractor for ÍSOR and provided a geothermal resource specialist to the project.

Transmission

  • Our role: Owner’s Engineer

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    Cable tunnel crossing of the 18 km wide Strait of Belle Isle - Completed 2010

    The works consisted of geotechnical investigations to assess the feasibility of a cable tunnel crossing of the 18 km wide Strait of Belle Isle, between Labrador and Newfoundland, for the transmission of power from the Lower Churchill Project. Phase 1 is the Muskrat Falls HEP of 824 MW and Phase 2 is the Gull Island HEP of 2250 MW.

    Services included:

    • Preparation of technical specifications for tender documents for site investigation work, including inclined core drilling and permeability tests.
    • Evaluation of the geological logs of more than 3 km of rock core, the supervision of permeability testing and the preparation of geological reports and tunnel support evaluation.
    • Conceptual design of the cable tunnel as a drill & blast tunnel and also as a bored TBM tunnel based on the geotechnical investigations.
    • Preparation of a cost estimate for the tunnel construction for these two alternatives.

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    Assessment of ice load on transmission lines - Completed 2017

    The task of Landsvirkjun was predominantly an ice load assessment for the transmission line from Muskrat Falls to St. Johns.

    The work involved:

    • Design and manufacturing of equipment for test spans that were installed in the Long Range Mountains in Newfoundland.
    • Modelling of historical icing events.
    • Modelling and simulating the effects of icing for selected weather conditions.
    • Comparison of modelled effects of icing to known icing observation in the area.
    • Evaluation of design loads for in-cloud icing.
    • Classification of various transmission line routes, according to the risk of icing and executing a first analysis on the risk of in-cloud icing in the Labrador area.