Harnessing of Geothermal Energy in the Öxarfjördur Area, NE Iceland

Abstract

At the Bay of Öxarfjördur in NE Iceland there is an extensive geothermal activity, confined to three fissure swarms transecting the NE volcanic zone. The geothermal systems in the area are low-temperature and boiling low-temperature fields. The area is sparsely populated, but with increasing tourism. A popular National Park with unique geological formations and landscape is located in the district. A municipal district heating system was built about twenty years ago in the eastern part of the area for a fish farming plant as well as the small town Kópasker and nearby rural farm houses. The production water is saline causing much trouble in the operation of the heating system due to corrosion and scaling. Some of the rural farmhouses in the eastern part have not yet been connected to the district heating system. In spite of much effort there has yet not been established a municipal geothermal heating systems in the western part of the area. Buildings in the sparsely populated rural area are mainly heated by electricity and the cost is manifold compared to geothermal heating. There are several options for building a geothermal heating system in the western part of the Öxarfjördur area. A well with a potential for heating most of the area was drilled seven years ago, but severe obstacles, mostly political, have been met in efforts to harness it. Now a site for drilling another well has been decided up on, which will most likely be drilled in the next few months. The plan is to build a municipal central heating system serving all farm houses, a hotel and guest houses in this touristic popular area within the next two years. The utilization of heat pumps for district heating may be rather viable in places as there are excessive resources of lukewarm water in the area. Use of geothermal energy may play a key role in keeping the Öxarfjördur area populated in the future.