Straumsvik Aluminium Plant near Hafnarfjordur
Straumsvik Aluminium Plant near Hafnarfjordur
Between the capital and the Blue Lagoon and Keflavik, you’ll pass the town of Hafnarfjordur.
Just south of the town, the long low building almost a kilometer in length houses one of three aluminum smelters in the country.
This smelter is owned by Rio Tinto Alcan. Alumina is imported to the smelter from the USA and Ireland and processed into aluminum. The smelter has the capacity to produce 185,000 tons a year and employs around 450 people.
This is a very power intensive industry and in Iceland electricity can be offered at competitive prices as it is produced by renewable hydro and geothermal power.
Hydroelectric power plants in the highlands of Iceland supply electricity to the plant and the power lines are clearly visible by the smelter.