The eruption began shortly before 10 AM this morning, but prior to the eruption, mitigative actions had been taken to ensure the saftey of our employees and to proctect the operations of the Svartsengi power plant. The fissure, which is now 1200 metres long, is located east of the mountain Þorbjörn and currently extends under the embankments above the settlement in Grindavík.
The operation of the power plant in Svartsengi is stable, but the area was evacuated shortly after 7AM this morning following indications from HS Orka's borehole warning system and other measurements, showing that magma movement had begun in the crater row.
The Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management , in consultation with the Chief of Police of the Reykjanes Peninsula, has raised the Alert Phase in the area to Emergency/Distress Phase but the effects have not caused problems regarding Keflavík ariport.
HS Orka's emergency management team is on call and closely monitoring the situation. Currently, the power plant in Svartsengi is not threatened by lava flow, but the plant is remotely controlled from Reykjanesvirkjun, as in previous eruptions.
