Svartsengi Power Plant

Svartsengi Power Plant is the first combined geothermal power plant in Iceland, producing both electricity and hot water. Geothermal energy utilization began there in 1976, and electricity generation started two years later.

Since then, the Svartsengi Power Plant has been developed in seven stages. Construction of the seventh and most recent stage took place against the backdrop of the volcanic activity along the Sundhnúkur crater row that began in late 2023.

The project was formally commissioned on Iceland's Sovereignty Day, December 1, 2025. The expansion increased the plant's generating capacity, and its operating license now permits production of up to 85 MW of electricity. Svartsengi's thermal production capacity is approximately 200 MW. Alongside the expansion of Svartsengi, reserve production capacity has been increased to 250 MW.

Drilling for steam in the Svartsengi area began in mid-November 1971. During the first phase, three wells were drilled, the deepest reaching approximately 400 meters. These wells were used for hot water production in a heat exchange station built in 1976. As soon as these steam wells were brought into operation, the separated brine began forming a discharge pond that would eventually become the foundation of the Blue Lagoon. Hot water was first supplied to homes in the town of Grindavík on November 6, 1976, and one year later the district heating system reached the town of Njarðvík.

The hot water supplied to the Reykjanes Peninsula originally comes from freshwater sources. The freshwater is deaerated, degassed, and heated using high-pressure steam through heat exchangers. It is then pumped by HS Orka to consumers across Reykjanes.

As previously mentioned, the Svartsengi Power Plant has been developed in seven stages:

• 1976: Geothermal utilization began at Svartsengi. Electricity generation started in the spring of 1978 when a 1 MW turbine was commissioned for internal use in geothermal operations. Shortly afterward, a second turbine of the same size was brought into service.
• 1980: The second development phase was completed with the addition of a 6 MW turbine, commissioned at the end of the year.
• 1989: Three Ormat turbines were added, producing a combined 3.6 MW.
• 1993: Four additional Ormat turbines were installed, generating a combined 4.8 MW.
• 1999: A 30 MW turbine was installed in Power Plant 5. It had taken a total of 21 years to reach 45 MW of electrical generating capacity at Svartsengi.
• 2008: The sixth expansion phase was commissioned, adding another 30 MW and operating under the name Power Plant 6.
• 2023: Construction began on the seventh phase of the facility, Power Plant 7.
• 2025: Power Plant 7 was formally commissioned, permanently replacing Power Plants 3 and 4.