The White Falcon - 07.03.1980, Blaðsíða 3

March 7, 1980
The White Falcon
Page 3
#W
U.S. Naval Station Keflavik
ill convert to geothermal heating
ti
•l
The U. S. Naval Station, Keflavik
(NAVSTAKEF) is about to undertake a
utility contract and military con-
struction program which will make
the station fossil-fuel independent,
except for transportation. This
venture involves the installation of
geothermal heat throughout the sta-
tion.
This installation will reduce the
United States' dependence on foreign
oil sources by seven million gallons
per year. Construction will take
place throughout the grounds and in
every building on the NATO base
area. This construction will change
the current heating method from die-
sel fuel oil burning to that gener-
ated by a renewable resource, the
earth's geothermal heat.
The genesis for this endeavor was
initiated pursuant to agreement
effected by the exchange of signed
notes at Reykjavik on October 22,
1974 by Ambassador Fredrick Irving
for the government of the United
States of America, and Mr. Einar
Agustsson, Foreign Minister for the
government of Iceland. By the 1974
Memorandum of Understanding between
the two governments, "The United
States Government agrees to study
he feasibility of purchasing geo-
thermal heat for use by the Iceland
Defense Force in the event such ser-
vice is made available by the Gov-
ernment of Iceland in the Reykjanes
Peninsula Area."
Geothermal heat will come to NAV-
STAKEF in two parts. The first part
is'a system of distribution lines,
tanks and pumps to be built by the
Sudurnes Regional Heating Corpora-
tion (SRHC) on the Naval Station.
The SRHC is an entity formed and
owned by the local municipalities
and the Government of Iceland.
The Naval Station Keflavik and
seven surrounding municipalities
comprise the customers for the SRHC.
SRHC already has a main distribution
line servicing the seven municipali-
ties and reaching nearby the main
gate of the Naval Station. This
corporation is presently building
hot water storage tanks and pumping
apparatus near the Naval Station's
main gate, and which it will serve
the NATO Base. The Naval Station
will purchase geothermal heat from
the SRHC under the terms of -a ten-
year utilities contract sigped on
February 22, 1980 in Reykjavik.
This contract is valued at 50
million dollars and includes a 19
million dollar connection charge.
With the signing of the contract and
payment of the connection charge,
the SRHC will begin building their
distribution lines and systems a-
board the Naval Station.
It is expected that sizable con-
struction will begin this spring and
by next winter the first buildings
will be connected to geothermal
heat. The Navy Transmitter Site at
Grindavik is also included in the
newly negotiated contract.
The other part of geothermal heat
for the Naval Station comes about
as the result of a construction con-
tract with the Iceland Prime Con-
tractor. Iceland Prime Contractor
will enter essentially every room of
each building on the Naval Station
to change the present U. S. heating
system and replace it with an Ice-
landic heating system based upon the
thermal properties of geothermal
heat. This work will cost about an-
other 19 million dollars and one
phase of it is contained in the 1980
fiscal year Military Construction
Program. The second phase is con-
tained in the 1981 fiscal year Mili-
tary Construction Program.
Design of both phases is expected
to be completed this summer with
construction to follow, timed to the
completion of the first part of the
distribution network by the SRHC.
Construction by both the SRHC and by
the Iceland Prime Contractor will
continue for about two years and is
expected to be completed in earl'y
1983.
BELOW—An aerial view of the Sud-
urnes Regional Heating Corpora-
tion's Plant near Grindavik.