Reykjavík Grapevine - 02.06.2017, Page 13

It’s not easy being green
(apparently)
Iceland is often thought of as a model
country when it comes to green energy,
which is why it was surprising to many
of our readers when it came to light that
Iceland burns over 160,000 tonnes of
coal yearly—and a large portion of that
at United Silicon’s plant in Helguvík. In
fact, the amount of coal Iceland is burn-
ing is increasing, making the plant’s
purpose of supplying materials for the
m a nu fa c t u r i n g
of solar panels at
least somewhat
ironic.
In all this, Unit-
ed Silicon repeat-
edly denied they
were polluting the
area, which not
even the Environ-
ment Agency of Iceland was buying, and
the area residents certainly aren’t, ei-
ther. Björt told reporters that shutting
the plant down was now on the table,
but would not offer a more definitive an-
swer as to what action would be taken.
“I think that [shutting the plant
down] is an acceptable option,” The En-
vironment Minister told public broad-
casting network RÚV in March. “I want
to assist the Environment Agency in
applying the strictest possible require-
ments so we can create conditions
where these kinds of things can’t go on.”
Shut down, but then not
In April, operations at the plant were
at last brought to a halt. Reykjanesbær
residents began to breathe easier. In the
interim, specialists from Norway were
flown in to review the entire manufactur-
ing process at United Silicon, and offer
counsel with the help of the Environment
Agency on how to improve matters.
This process continued for several
weeks. Then, late last month, United
Silicon operations commenced anew,
under the strict supervision of the En-
vironment Agency. It is as yet unknown
how much the Environment Agency’s
involvement in getting the plant opera-
tional has cost taxpayers, but it does
raise the question: why wasn’t the plant
shut down altogether?
It’s about them jobs
Suðurnes, the southwest region of Ice-
land where Reykjanesbær is located, has
had the nation’s highest rate of unem-
ployment for over a decade now. When
the NATO base closed and left in 2006,
the government had no plan in place to
replace the jobs the base provided. The
region has been struggling to bring in
more jobs ever since.
The area is very geothermally active,
however, and foreign companies had
their eye on Suðurnes for possible ex-
ploration. This included a Canada-based
company called Magma Energy (later
Alterra Energy), which signed a 65-year
contract with Reykjanesbær for explora-
tion purposes in 2010. Two years later, the
town would sell its shares in the company
for the purpose of paying off debts.
As such, it’s easy to see why the na-
tional government would go to such
lengths to help United Silicon find its
legs: Suðurnes needs jobs, United Sili-
con provides them. However, it should
be noted again that it was Reykjanes-
bær residents who pressured the gov-
ernment to shut down the plant in the
first place. Breathing clean air, it turns
out, is more important to Icelanders
than the jobs that polluting industries
might provide. Whether United Silicon
can, from here, produce in a greener,
healthier fashion remains to be seen,
but in the meantime, the Environment
Agency is overseeing all operations,
and Reykjanesbær residents wait with
bated breath to see what happens next.
“United Silicon said
this was a one-
time ‘beginner’s
mistake.’ But then
things got worse.”
The USI plant is not currently a Unesco Heritage Site
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