Svartsengi power station

In the beginning of 1976, Svartsengi power station was completely liquid-dominated, but it changed into a liquid dominated with a steam cap geothermal system. == Power plant units ==

Nowadays, the combined capacity of Svartsengi power station is 75 MW in electrical power and 150 MW in thermal power. Energy Plant 1, with its two back-pressure turbines of 1 MW each, was constructed in 1977–1979. It consisted of four thermal energy circuits, which produced 40 L/s of heating water and 50 MW electricity for its own power needs, but today it is mostly out of action and only two circuits are in use, so the produced capacity is 25 MW of thermal power. Energy Plant 2 was built in 1980 and it produces, with its three thermal energy exchange systems, 225 L/s (3 × 75 L/s) of hot water and 75 MW (3 × 25 MW) of thermal power. Energy Plant 3, with its 6 MW counter-pressure steam turbines, is especially used for producing electricity. Each second 40 kg of steam passes through the turbines with 5 bar pressure. Energy Plant 4, with its seven 1.2 MW Isopentan Ormat turbines, was built in 1989–1992 to produce power with hot excess steam and low pressure steam from the other power plants. Energy Plant 5 was built in 1999 to substitute the old energy plant 1 and to increase the power and hot water, so the demand could be met. It produces with its 30 MW turbines and 75 MW thermal energy exchange system, around 225 GWh per annum. Energy Plant 6 is a condenser plant with unique high pressure steam turbines and a total capacity of 30 MW. It produces only electricity, which is interdependent on the use of the other district heating and electrical plants as some of the intake can be from them. ==2023–2024 earthquakes and eruptions==

The 2023–2025 Sundhnúkur eruptions caused major disruption to the power station, which was threatened by swarms of earthquakes and repeated lava flows in its near vicinity. The power station was switched to remote operation but suffered minimal damage from the earthquakes. Pressure readings from boreholes associated with the power station have proved to be useful in giving minutes warning at least of the eruptions. However, the main road leading to Svartsengi was engulfed by lava on 8 February 2024 and a section of the hot water pipe leading from it was also destroyed, leading to a heating crisis in parts of the peninsula for a few days until a new pipeline was connected. In response to the threat of lava flows, the Icelandic parliament authorised the construction of protective earth barriers around the power station and the Blue Lagoon, which were largely in place by the time of the 8 February eruption. In June 2024, a small flow of a'a lava overflowed the berms, required additional berm construction and the first use of water to slow lava flows since the 1973 Eldfell eruption. The water cooling capacity was subsequently increased. Both an increase in height of the barriers and water cooling strategies had to be applied, in attempts to protect local infrastructure including the power station, in later eruptions. As of December 2024 efforts were underway to increase the height of the barriers by a further at an extra cost of up to ISK 1.25 billion () on top of the ISK 10 billion () already spent on barriers during the current series of eruptions. == Future plans ==

Construction of an extension called Svartsengi 7 (SVA7, Energy Plant 7) that will replace two older power units, renovate some of the hot water production equipment and increase power capacity by about a third commenced in 2022. == See also ==