Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant
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The Kárahnjúkar power plant ( Isl Kárahnjúkavirkjun ) is a hydroelectric power plant in eastern Iceland. With a planned capacity of 690 MW, a reservoir with a surface area of 57 km ² and a main dam with a length of 730 m and a height of 193 m, it will be one of the largest hydroelectric power plants in Europe. (Alternative information from other sources for its dimensions are: height: 198 m, crest length. 696 m) per year it will deliver 4600 GWh.
Construction
The water of two rivers, Jökulsá Brú ( = Jökulsá Dal ) and Jökulsá í Fljótsdal is stored in three reservoirs ( Hálslón, Ufsalón and Keldulón ). From there it is passed through a 53 km long tunnel with a diameter of about 7.5 m to the power plant and overcomes a difference in altitude of almost 600 m. Due to the length of the tunnel they were built from several sides simultaneously.
Dam
The 193 m high main dam, which impounds the Jökulsá Brú, is a CFR dam, that is, a rockfill dam with a water-side sealing of concrete. The dam has a volume of 8.5 million cubic meters, the memory space of the reservoir is 2100 million cubic meters. On 28 September 2006 the water was first impounded.
Purpose
The power plant supplies energy for the aluminum plant Fjardaál Alcoa in Reyðarfjörður (about 100 km north-east ). There were thus created several hundred jobs in East Iceland. Under certain circumstances, the aluminum plant will be enlarged in the coming years. The construction of the plant was carried out largely by foreign companies, including the Hochtief from food and Impregilo SpA from Italy. The operator is the Icelandic power company Landsvirkjun.
Criticism
By building lost large natural areas, on which about reindeer in Iceland spent the winter. The reservoir is located in the heart of the second largest unspoiled natural area, which is about 1000 km ².
The political decisions that have led to the building, are not without controversy. So it came last in the autumn of 2006 to agitations in Icelandic media and in parliament, as in an interview with the Alcoa Board Alain J. Belda P. with a Brazilian newspaper was announced that the Icelandic state-owned utility and future dam operators Landsvirkjun Alcoa allegedly only one price calculated by around $ 15 per megawatt hour, much must be less than Icelandic citizens or companies usually pay. Landsvirkjun described the quoted price to be too low, and Alcoa took the article from its website and apologized to the Icelandic power supplier for the resulting confusion. The actual price to be paid has not been published by both parties.
The power plant was officially put into operation on 30 November 2007. Until then, more than a billion euros were flown into the building. In addition there were further costs for infrastructure.