Reykjanes power station

Geothermal power station in Reykjanes, Iceland

63°49′35″N 22°40′55″W / 63.82639°N 22.68194°W / 63.82639; -22.68194StatusOperationalCommission dateMay 2006Construction costUS$100 millionOwner(s)HS OrkaGeothermal power station TypeFlash steamMin. source temp.290 °C (550 °F)Wells12Max. well depth2,700 m (8,900 ft)Power generation Units operational2 × hp 50 MW + 1 lp 30 MWNameplate capacity130 MWeExternal linksCommonsRelated media on Commons

[edit on Wikidata]

The Reykjanes power station (known as Reykjanesvirkjun [ˈreiːcaˌnɛsˌvɪr̥cʏn]) is a geothermal power station located in Reykjanes at the south-western tip of Iceland.

As of 2012, the power plant generated 100MWe from two high pressure 50MWe turbines, using steam and brine from a reservoir at 290 to 320 °C (554 to 608 °F), which is extracted from 12 wells that are 2,700 m (8,900 ft) deep. This was the first time that geothermal steam of such high temperature had been used for electrical generation.^[1]

In May 2023 a low pressure 30 MWe turbine started operation, bringing the power output of the plant to 130 MW. The turbine uses low pressure steam at about 200 °C (392 °F) coming from the two high pressure turbines. The residual heat is used to heat sea water for fish farming.^[2]

The power plant was open to the public and housed the Power Plant Earth interpretative exhibition. However, the exhibit was closed in June 2018.^[3]

From December 2023 staff based at the Reykjanes power station controlled remotely the geothermal Svartsengi power station which was threatened by volcanic activity.^[4]

References

^ "Reykjanes Geothermal Power Plant". Power Technology. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
^ "Stækkun Reykjanesvirkjunar lokið".
^ "Power Plant Earth". Facebook. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
^ Ketilsson, Páll (1 December 2023). "Þrekvirki unnið við að halda framleiðslunni órofinni og efla á sama tíma varnir fyrirtækisins". www.vf.is (in Icelandic). Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.