On June 28, Landsvirkjun, the national power company of Iceland, will start its first turbine inside its newly built Búrfell II hydropower station. The expansion of the Búrfell hydropower station has been ongoing since April 2016 and aims to utilize 14% of the energy that typically flows untapped through the hydropower station each year.
The new station is located 300 meters inside the mountain Sámstaðaklif and nearly 150 meters below Bjarnalón pond, so the visual impact on the landscape goes virtually unnoticed. This new plant will utilize water that flows past the current 270 MW Búrfell hydropower station intake.
The power output of the new Búrfell II will be 100 MW with one turbine, but has the opportunity to be expanded by a further 40 MW. This offers increased flexibility in the operation of the new station as well as the ability to execute maintenance work at the existing station, all without significantly causing any reductions in energy generation.
The new addition of this station will increase the total capacity of the combined Búrfell hydropower stations by 300 GWh per year. This project has stayed in line with Landsvirkjun’s mission to maximize the potential yield and value of natural resources in a sustainable, responsible and efficient manner.
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