Hellisheidi sees commission of 133 MW thermal heating plant
Well heads at Hellisheidi power plant of Reykjavik Energy (source: flickr/thinkgeonergy, creative commons)
Alexander Richter
23 Feb 2011
The Icelandic Hellisheidi geothermal power plant outside of Reykjavik commissions 133 MW thermal geothermal heating plant to its installed 233 MW in electricity generating capacity.
Announced by Icelandic engineering group Mannvit, “The Hellisheidi Geothermal Power Plant, located just outside of Reykjavik, and owned by Orkuveita Reykjavikur (Reykjavik’s utility company), is now producing 213 MWe and 133 MWth.
Mannvit, as the mechanical and overall plant designer, is proud to report on the successful commissioning of the plant’s 4th phase, which added a 133 MWth heating plant in December 2010. The heated water from the plant is piped 20 km (12 miles) to storage tanks in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, to be used for heating and bathing. The 80°C (176° F) fresh water is heated by the condensed steam coming from the turbines and the water from the steam separators, thus maximizing the use of the heat. The Hellisheidi plant’s purpose is to meet increasing demand for electricity for industry and hot water for space heating in Reykjavik.”
Once completed the plant will be one of the largest geothermal plants in the world.
Later this year the 5th phase will go online, which will add an additional 90MW of power. Plus, two more heating plant phases of 133 MWth each will also be added to respond to increased heating demand.
Once completed, the Hellisheidi plant will become one of the world’s largest geothermal plants, with 303 MW installed power capacity and 400 MW for heating, a total of 700 MW. Approximately 50 geothermal wells will support the entire production. Mannvit’s services included project management, overall plant design, environmental impact assessment (EIA), detailed mechanical design of the plant, HVAC and control systems design, bid document preparation and tender evaluation, site supervision, commissioning, acceptance testing and training of operators.”
Source: Mannvit
