The Hvalá Hydropower Project in Ófeigsfjörður in the Westfjords of Iceland is classified under the utilization category of the Master Plan for Nature Protection and Energy Utilization. It has been in preparation by the energy company VesturVerk for a number of years. VesturVerk is a subsidiary of HS Orka. The results of the assessment report are now available on VesturVerk’s website, and the public consultation is open for 60 days, from August 18 to October 17.
In autumn 2024, assessors verified by the Hydropower Sustainability Alliance (HSA) conducted an assessment of the preparatory phase of the Hvalá project. The work was carried out in accordance with the international Hydropower Sustainability Standard (HSS) and involved extensive data collection, interviews with various stakeholders, and a site visit to the proposed project area.
Stakeholders and the public can review the assessment results and submit comments. After the consultation period, the assessors will review the submitted feedback and issue a final version of the assessment report.
Below are links to the information pages on VesturVerk´s website where one can access the feedback system of HSA.
Icelandic: HSS sjálfbærnimat
English: Hydropower Sustainability Standard Assessment
Below is an explanatory diagram of the assessment results. According to the assessment, the preparatory phase of the project meets all the minimum requirements of the HSS standard. As it stands, the results which are based on the standard’s advanced criteria, indicate that the project meets the gold-level benchmark and is eligible for certification as such.
