Vatnsfell Power Station

Vatnsfell Power Station is the northernmost power station in the Þjórsá and Tungnaá hydropower system. Commissioned in 2001, it has an installed capacity of 90 MW and utilises a 65-metre head in the waterway between Þórisvatn and Krókslón.

Unlike the other power stations in the area, Vatnsfell operates primarily when water is released from Þórisvatn into the downstream hydropower system. For that reason, the station is used mainly during the winter months, when water stored in Þórisvatn is drawn upon, while its turbines are often shut down during summer.

Because the station utilises water already being conveyed between reservoirs, there is no need for a separate reservoir upstream of the powerhouse. This makes Vatnsfell a distinctive addition to the interconnected network of power stations, reservoirs and waterways that make up the Þjórsá and Tungnaá hydropower system.

The Þjórsá and Tungnaá area is home to seven of Landsvirkjun’s hydropower stations: Búðarháls, Búrfell, Búrfell II, Hrauneyjafoss, Sigalda, Sultartangi and Vatnsfell. The area also includes Vaðalda Wind Farm, Iceland’s first wind power plant, as well as Hafið, a wind energy test site with two experimental turbines.

At the heart of the system is Þórisvatn, Iceland’s largest natural lake and the region’s main reservoir. Water collected in the Kvíslaveita diversion system and Hágöngulón flows through Þórisvatn before being used by power stations farther downstream.

The Þórisvatn reservoir system was developed between 1970 and 1972 as part of the expansion of hydropower generation in the area. Its reservoirs, dams, canals and control structures make it possible to store water, regulate flows and optimise energy production throughout the year.

Construction of the Kvíslaveita diversion system began in 1980 and was completed in 1997. The system collects water from tributaries and the upper reaches of the Þjórsá River and diverts it to Þórisvatn.

Hágöngulón was developed between 1997 and 1999 and covers an area of 37 km². It increases the utilisation of water resources in the Kaldakvísl catchment by storing water during the summer months.

Together, Þórisvatn, Kvíslaveita, Hágöngulón and a number of smaller reservoirs form the backbone of the hydropower system in the Þjórsá and Tungnaá area.