Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant

The hydroelectricity project harnesses the rivers Jökulsá á Dal and Jökulsá í Fljótsdal by creating three reservoirs with five concrete-face rock-filled embankment dams; three on the Jökulsá á Dal and two on the Jökulsá í Fljótsdal. After being used in the Fljótsdalur Power Station, all water used in electricity production is discharged into the river Jökulsá í Fljótsdal. Three dams on the Jökulsá á Dal—the Kárahnjúkar Dam (), the Desjará Dam On the river Jökulsá í Fljótsdal, the , Kelduá Dam forms the Kelduárlón Reservoir. Downstream from the Kelduá Dam is the , Ufsarstífla dam which forms the Ufsarlón, a much smaller reservoir. Water from the Ufsarlón Reservoir is diverted down a , headrace tunnel where it joins the Hálslón Reservoir headrace tunnel. == History ==

Using the rivers Jökulsá á Dal and Jökulsá í Fljótsdal along with other resources in eastern Iceland has been on the drawing board since the 1970s. From 1975 to 2002, several international companies had planned or attempted to build a metal plant at Reyðarfjörður that would be powered by a hydroelectricity project similar to the Kárahnjúkar. All failed because of opposition to the project until Alcoa along with the Government of Iceland and Landsvirkjun, Iceland's national power company committed to the massive project in 2002. == Construction ==

leading water from Kárahnjúkar Dam to the power plant. The project is funded by Landsvirkjun, which operates the dams and Fljótsdalur Power Station. The Italian company Impregilo is the largest contractor working on the dams. The total cost of the hydropower project is US$1.3 billion. The penstock was built in place by the German company DSD-NOELL (Würzburg) whereas ATB Riva Calzoni of Italy provided intake structures, wheels gates, and sliding gates. In total, more than 4,000 tons of steel were used for the steel liner. Preparatory work on the project began in August 2002 and construction on the Kárahnjúkar Dam and headrace tunnels for the Hálslón Reservoir began in April 2003. In September of the same year, construction began on the underground power station. Construction on both the Desjará Dam and the Sauðárdalur Dam began in April 2004. In June 2006, construction of the Kelduá Dam and Ufsarstífla Dam began and in September, the Hálslón Reservoir began to fill. In mid-2008, the Kelduá and Ufsarstífla Dams were complete and the Ufsarlón Reservoir headrace tunnel was ready. Construction on the headrace tunnels was done by three full-face tunnel boring machines, while remaining areas were drilled and blasted. There were several workplace fatalities during the construction process, including Arni Thor Bjarnason, Eilifur Gopi Hammond, Ludvik Alfred Halldorsson, and Kresimir Durinic. == Criticism ==

The dams have been the frequent subject of protests by environmentalists for many reasons. The area is within the second largest (formerly) unspoiled wilderness in Europe and covers about in total and the rivers that supply water to the project are part of Europe's largest glacier, Vatnajökull. About 70% of the workforce was composed of foreign workers. For the construction of Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant in East Iceland, five dams in two glacial rivers created three reservoirs, that together flooded over 440,000 acres of unspoilt Highland territory. The megastructure is on a scale like nothing the nation has seen before or since and, as such, has been a constant source of protest and controversy due to the landscapes irretrievably lost. The total affected area according to the environmental impact assessment, outlines that a total of were affected by the project's construction. That is approximately 3% of Iceland's total landmass. Representation in film and literature The project as a whole was criticised heavily in the 2006 book Draumalandið and subsequent 2009 documentary Dreamland. The project was documented in a MegaStructures program of the National Geographic Channel, and the Discovery Channel's Extreme Engineering, along with mention in the 2006 Sigur Rós rockumentary Heima (At Home), where the band played at a protest against the building of the dam. The dam has been read as an inspiration for a mysterious dam in Steinar Bragi's horror novel Hálendið. == See also ==