HS Orka preparing for drilling of wells at geothermal site of Eldvörp, Iceland
Icelandic energy company HS Orka is preparing drilling work on site of Eldvörp, a geothermal field near existing geothermal plants of Svartsengi and Reykjanes in Iceland.
Contractors of Icelandic geothermal energy company HS Orku have started work on a new drill pad in the lava field of Eldsvötn near Grindavík, Iceland. This is the second drill pad on site, with plans to establish a total of three to five.
On the site there are previous wells from the 1990s. The work now undertaken is connected to test equipment, aAccording to Ásgeir Margeirsson, CEO of HS Orka, it is connected to test equipment.
A little east is the new drill pad, where the first part of the experimental well has been drilled. HS Orka has been granted a license to drill a several research wells and a special environmental assessment has been completed for them. For the purpose of this projects roads around the area are utilised.
With increasing tourism in Iceland and also in this part of the country, there have been concerns of the environmental impact of the drilling by the local planning agency. The main negative effects were seen as the visual nature and noise due to the drilling activities. The area surrounding the Eldvörp crater is seen as a national treasure by many. There have also been concern on the impact to the vegetation.
As part of Iceland’s General Master Plan for energy uilization, the area is set out as an area that can be ulitised for energy generation under the framework program. A special environmental assessment must though be carried out if development is planned. The CEO of HS Orka says that the area will be evaluated when the wells will be drilled. There are no plans for the utilisation on site, but to produce hot water for the local district heating system in Sudurnes and steam for power generation in other plants, either at the geothermal power plant at Svartsengi or at an industrial area west of the Grindavik community.
Source: Mbl.is