Energy intensive industries
further information
Websites
Enex
Hitaveita Suðurnesja
Icelandic New Energy
Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism
National Energy Authority
National Power Company
Reykjavik Energy
Samorka
Westfjord Power Company
Publications
Geothermal Development and Research in Iceland
This brochure gives a brief overview of research into geothermal energy in Iceland and its use for space heating, electricity generation, melting snow and other applications.
Download the publication in PDF (3,32 MB)
Iceland is the only country in Western Europe that still has considerable resources of competitively priced, renewable energy remaining to be harnessed. Only one third of the country's energy potential will be tapped by the end of 2010.
Hydropower and geothermal energy are the sources of Iceland's uniquely sustainable electricity generating capacity. These environmentally-friendly, green resources, produce electricity without harmful atmospheric emissions. The country's state-of-the-art energy infrastructure is highly ranked on international business indices for reliability, efficiency and cost.
Click on the map below to see the power flow through Landsnet grid live:
Energy resources
Total viable electric power potential is now estimated at 50,000 GWh/yr. In 2010, only 16,000 GWh/yr (32%) of this power had been harnessed.
Geothermal steam with a pressure of up to 20 bar and temperatures up to 250°C will be harvested in the near future. This development will have a huge impact on steam-consuming industries once the source comes on line.
Aluminium industry
Using electricity generated by hydropower instead of coal can help aluminium producers cut total CO2 emissions by up to 90% per ton compared with electricity supplies from coal-fired power stations.
Iceland's first aluminium smelter was built in the late 1960s by Alusuisse. Industrial development continued through the 1970s with the construction of a ferrosilicon plant by Icelandic Alloys Ltd.
A recent wave of large-scale industrial projects has seen expansion and the installation of new facilities. Alcoas new aluminium smelter in Reydarfjordur opened in 2007. RioTintoAlcan's aluminium smelter in Straumsvik is being updated and will increase production capacity by 20%. The capacity of the ferro-silicon plant has increased by 60%. The Nordurál smelter was built in a record time in 2001 and its annual capacity was increased to 90,000 tonnes.