Geothermal Power on Reykjanes
Geothermal Power on Reykjanes
On the approach road to the Blue Lagoon, you’ll notice the pipeline that brings hot water to the towns of Reykjanes from the Svartsengi power plant.
Sited adjacent to the Blue Lagoon, work on the power plant started in 1976 with the latest addition completed in 2007.
The installations supply hot water from 13 boreholes, while ten turbine generator units produce 75 MW of electricity.
Also on Reykjanes, the Reykjanesvirkjun power plant uses steam drawn from 2700m deep wells at 290-320 degrees Celsius to drive its two 50 MW high-pressure turbines.
About 20% of Iceland's power is generated from geothermal sources - the rest is from hydroelectric plants.
Over 90% of houses in Iceland are heated by natural hot water, which also fills the swimming pools around the country, all year around.