Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant

Location: Fljótsdalshérað, Eastern Iceland

Type: Hydro

Status: Operational

Year of establishment: 2009

Installed Capacity: 690 MWe

Project Description

It is largest hydroelectric power station in Iceland. The installed capacity is 690 MW and it supplies energy to an Aluminum smelter Alcoa Fjardaálfor which is 75 km away.

Purpose/Application

In order to generate energy, it was necessary to build dams on the Jökulsá á Dal River and the Jökulsá í Fljótsdal River which in total created three reservoirs. The Kárahnjúkastífla Dam as the centerpiece of five dams is the biggest of its kind in Europe and has a height of 193 m with a length of 730 m.

Unique Aspect

The dams are in the area of second largest unspoiled wilderness in Europe and cover about 1,000 square kilometers. The rivers which are part of Europe's largest glacier, the Vatnajökull, supply water to this project.