The location of the plant draws its name from a former resting place of
horseback riders, which is all of the area east of the Grindavík road across the
plant. The plant itself is on lava which erupted back in 1226 and it is called
Illahraun. South of the powerplant is Þorbjarnarfell and east of it is
Svartengisfell and Selháls between it and north of it is Baðsvellir, which is
south from the plant.
A drilling search for steam in Svartengis area began in in the middle of
November 1971, when a 700 meter hole was scheduled to be drilled. At a depth of
250 meters the heat was around 200 °C; in the first phase three holes were
drilled and the deepest one was about 400 meters. These holes were used for hot
water production in the thermal energy exchange plant which was built in 1976.
Immediately after the utilization of these steamholes, the separated sea created
a lagoon which today is now more famously called, Blue Lagoon. The first houses
, in Grindavík, received water on the 6th of November 1976 and year later, on
the 30th of December in 1977, the first houses in Njarðvík as well.
Today, the total production capability of the energy plant in Svartsengi is
75 MW in electrical energy and about 150 MW in thermal energy.
Hot water used at Reykjanes peninsula is orginal fresh water. Fresh water is
pumped to the plant were the oxygen and natural CO2 is taken out and the water
is heated up to 101 – 105 °C in heat exchangers with high pressure steam. Then
the water is pumped to the municipalities at Reykjanes peninsula. So there is no
need for kettles when customers need hot water, only to flash the hot water at
the sink, put the cup under and they have hot water.
The Svartengi plant has been build in phases. The first plant (Power plant 1)
was built in the year 1977 – 1979 and the last one (Power plant 6) was built
from the year 2006 – 2008.
Today, the total production capability of the energy plant in Svartsengi is 75
MW in electrical energy and about 150 MW in thermal energy.