Construction at Bjarnarflag geothermal project under way in Iceland
Bjarnarflag geothermal power plant, Mývatn, Iceland (source: ThinkGeoEnergy, creative commons)
Alexander Richter
16 Mar 2018
Green Energy Geothermal has started construction of the Bjarnarflag geothermal project for Iceland's national power company Landsvirkjun in the North of Iceland.
Construction on the renewal of the Bjarnarflag geothermal power plant in the Myvatn region in the North of Iceland is under way.
The plant operated by Icelandic national power company Landsvirkjun was the first geothermal power plant in Iceland and started operation in 1969.
While the old plant has seen a decrease in production, it has been a reliable and important source of power for the Myvatn region in the North of Iceland.
In March 2017, Landsvirkjun awarded a contract to design, manufacture and supply a replacement back-pressure turbine and generator for the Bjarnarflag plant to British power plant supplier Green Energy Geothermal (GEG). GEG is a supplier of geothermal wellhead power plants having previously built 15 geothermal power plants in Kenya.
Construction work is now underway, with sufficient arrangements to make sure there is no interference with related activities in the area, which particularly concerns the operation of the local heating plant and the supply of water to the geothermal spa operation at Myvatn.
“GEG is proud to be working on this project and we are now working together with Landsvirkjun to bring this historic plant back to its full production potential with our equipment.”, says Sigurdur Kristinsson, Project Manager of GEG in Iceland.
There is no decision yet on what will happen to the old hardware of the plant, which was built in 1934 representing a significant piece of history. For the beginning it will be stored in Landsvirkjun’s facilities on site, but there are plans to use it as a showcase of the first geothermal power plant in Iceland.
Sources: GEG, Landsvirkjun
