Electrical power production in HS Orka hf has a long history, starting in April of 1978 when a one MW turbine was turned on in Svartsengi promptly followed by the introduction of another one of the same size. The next phase was installing a six MW turbine in December of 1980, and in 1989 three Ormat turbines were set up for a total of 3,6 MW and in 1993 four more Ormat turbines, 4,8 MW, were established. In 1999 a 30 MW turbine was added to Energy Plant 5; and therefore it took 21 years to reach 45 MW electrical power capacity in Svartsengi. The next phase in Svartsengi has started, and that is the building of a 30 MW electrical power plant titled: Energy Plant 6.

Although the first steps in the MW buisness may not have been big, this was quite alot of power back then and thus it is approriate to commemorate the pioneers who jumpstarted it all. Without a doubt, Þóroddur Th. Sigurðsson the manager of water district supply in Reykjavík then, was the brains behind starting the first eight megawatts of turbines in Svartsengi, and later it was Albert Albertsson who continued his work by installing the 8,4 MW Ormat turbines.

The prelude to a more profitable and more realistic utilization of geothermal heat in Reykjanes was a long journey. The first research hole was drilled in 1956 and in the years 1968 to 1969 when seven research boreholes were drilled as well. Borehole 8 was by furthest the largest one, reaching a depth of 1.754 meters, and the only one that was harnessed, and was used as the main production borehole in the area for many years with a maximum output of usage being 21 million tonnes; however due to damages it was cemented shut in 1993.

On the 31st of December in 1976 the municipalities in the area, which were then seven, bought 63 to 70 hecters of land from the owners of the Kalmanlake and Junkaragerði along with the geothermal rights of the lands within a 10 ohm resistance line. With this agreement which was signed on 22nd November 1985, however this areas was later defined better and a line was drawn from Sýrfell to the sea, and the geothermal rights were limited to the area south of this line. On the 2nd of January 1979 the municipalities rented the land to the “Preparation committee for the Salt processing factory in Reykjanes hf”, which then took over the area along with the subterranean steam and chemicals.

Sjóefnavinnsla, or the Sea material processing company, then took over the area at the beginning of 1983 when hole 9 was drilled, which was 1.455 meters deep. It was damaged during cleaning and has been closed since, however the total work done was close to 30 million tonnes. The area at that time was not connected to the country's electrical grid and thus Sjóefnavinnsla put up a 500 kw Terry turbine for its own use during the beginning of 1984, however the turbine's operations ceased when the Reykjanesvirkun was taken into use. The geothermal area in Reykjanes is unique and harnessing it is one of the hardest projects geothermal industry has ever undertaken. The reason is that in Reykjanes the liquid is comprised of 2/3 of salt like in Svartsengi, but is much lower in the Hengil area and the temperature is 300° to 320° C ( 243° in Svartsengi). This high temperature causes higher precipitation which is a problem. The turbines are therefore run at around 18 bars of pressure to stop precipitation, in comparasion the 30 MW machine in Svartsengi is run on 6 bars.

Prelude and Preparation of Reykjanesvirkjun
The start of construction of at Reykjanesvirkjun can be traced back to 1997 when work on the environmental impact of geothermal work started, and in 1998 drilling on the first borehole commenced, followed by its completion in February of 1999. In the beginning the project focused mainly on the feasibility of utilizing geothermal heat in general, mostly considering the need for steam for the magnesium plant rather than to use for electrical power uses. During this period is became apparent the magnesium plant would not be built thus Hitaveita Suðurnesja was contacted about the possibility of it harnessing energy for the enlargement of Norðurál in Hvalfjörður.

At first it was discussed that Landsvirkjun would have 80 MW and Hitaveita Suðurnesja and Orkuveita Reykjavíkur each having 40 MW, and when Landsvirkjun could not take part in the project due to trouble regarding Norðlingaöldu, it became obvious that Hitaveita Suðurnesja and Orkuveita Reykjavík would each have to have 80 megawatts each. With the contract that was signed on the 31st of October in 2003 between Hitaveita Suðurnesja, Orkuveita Reykjavíkur and Norðurál about energy procurement and providement to Norðurál, it could be said that Reykjanesvirkjun formally existed. According to the agreement Hitaveita Suðurnesja was to begin full operations in May 2006 which was a very ambitious goal and it was very apparent that not much could go wrong. And on the 17th of April, Saturday, 2004 a formal agreement between Hitaveita Suðurnesja and Orkuveita Reykjavíkur was signed, as well as between the former parties with Norðurál stipulating that it bought 153 MW and 1.340 GW annually and this would divided equally between Hitaveita Suðurnesja and Orkuveita Reykjavíkur.

Construction on the project began officially on the 21st of July 2004, and twenty two months later full provision of electrical power from Reykjanesvirkjun began. The project ran smoothly even though there always a few minor problems, which designers, contractors, engineers and other technicians of Hitaveita Suðurnesja fixed during that period.

The exhibition itself ''Energy Plant: Earth'' was put up in the main hall of the plant and was made by Gagn and Garman ( Björn Björnsson et al.) along with the British company Janvs which handled its construction.

The project coordinators on behalf of Hitaveita Suðurnesja were Helgi Hjaltason (Fjarhitun), project manager and then Júlíus Jónsson director, Albert Albertsson assistant director, Guðmundur Björnsson supplies manager and Egill Sigmundsson head of the electrical department and Geir Þórólfsson head of the technical department of Hitaveita Suðurnesja.

Numerical Information
The powerhouse of the plant is the most visible part of the project and is around 4.313 square meters, the cellar is 2.291 square meters and the second floor is 1.008 square meters therefore the total area in square meters is 7.692 square meters and the cubic measurement is 65.268 cubic meters. On the second floor there is a facility for employees and also reception facilities that are used for introducing the company as well. The conveying station has a cellar which is 280 square meters and the first floor is 1.280 square meters or a total of 1.560 square meters and the cubic measurements are 19.869 cubic meters. The dividing station is 924 square meters and 8,579 cubic meters and the connecting system in Rauðamel is around 485 square meters and the measurements are 5.604 cubic meters.

The total square measurements of all the buildings connected to the building is therefore 12.705 square meters and the measurements are 110.769 cubic meters. The steam conveyer has to handle transportation from the boreholes, at a rate of about 1.000 kilos per second and the pipes are 5 kilometers long and their dimensions are about 350-430 millimeters; of these 1.000 kilos per second there are about 250 kilos per second of steam that is transported a distance of 2.500 meters in 700 millimeter pipes and then about 800 kilos per second of subterranean sea water which is transported 2.500 meters in 500 millimeter pipes. During 100 MW production the flow from the boreholes is about 800 kilos per second and of that there are 175 kilos per second of steam and 625 kilos of subterranean sea water per second. The total length of the steam pipes is about 10.200 meters and through the cooling sea water conveyer 4000. liters per second travel 2.000 meters through 1.000 millimeter pipes. The total flow equals the average flow of Elliða river.

To date, there have been 15 boreholes drilled as part of the project, that are 33.4 kilometers in total length. Presently, work on redrilling borehole 14 began, after it caved in, with drilling in the hole starting at a depth of around 900 meters and then further down to 2.000 meters. The same option is being considered for borehole number 13, and if that does not work a new borehole has to be drilled. When construction of the project began in July in 2004 the total cost of the projected along with the plant, without financial resources, was estimated to be about 10 billion krónur with a additional billion for a high voltage line along with everything else from Reykjanes to line in Svartsengi-Fitjar, with conveying stations on both ends. Calculated today the plan is about 12.5 million krónur. The recorded cost today, without additional finacial resources is 12,7 billion and additional costs are estimated for the drilling and final preparations are estimated to a be total of 7 to 800 million krónur, so the total cost would be around 13.5 billion krónur or a billion more than the calculated costs. In the orginal plans there were plans for twelve high heat boreholes but now they have become sixteen (+½). The additional costs because of this is 1,1 billion therefore accounting for the difference. The loans taken during 2004-2006 are estimated to be about 11 billion krónur and during that time an estimated one billion has been paid in installments of the loans and the same cost has been paid to the owners in proceeds.

Future possibilities
Hitaveita Suðurnesja expects that at the end of the next year, after the trial period of running the plant, and the structural problems of the area along with the challenge of precipitation, for it to be possible to enlarge the plant by 50% by adding a third 50 MW machine as well as anenlargement of the powerstation westwards. Then the possibilities of better utilization of the area will be researched and hopefully will lead to more efficient production of the additional 30 to 50 megawatts, thus the total production could reach 200 MW. Hitaveita Suðurnesja wants to ensure that the plant will be the foundation in a new resource site similar to the energy plant in Svartsengi, or that the deep drilling project could further enhance the foundation of self sufficient development in the are of geothermal utilization for the coming future. The new geothermal plants that Hitaveita Suðurnesja and Orkuveita Reykjavíkur have built will ensure the worth of geothermal heat as an alternative to hydro power.

Júlíus Jónsson, director of Hitaveita Suðurnesja hf.

Reykjanesvirkjun statistics