Iceland review - 2004, Page 70

ICELAND REVIEW SUPPLEMENT / 68
NATURAL POWER
Reykjavík Energy
Iceland’s blessed with an abundance of geothermal water. Reykjavík Energy taps
into this resource to power the world’s northernmost capital. It’s a straightfor-
ward process. Geothermal water is pumped from the ground, the steam is sepa-
rated from the hot water, and then it’s run through turbines to supply heat and
electricity to the residents of Reykjavík.
But Reykjavík Energy does more than enable us to take long, hot showers for only
pennies; the company does more than heat our homes during the long, dark win-
ters; aside from turning on our lights, Reykjavík Energy also creates and harness-
es the energy of the people.
Take Thorvaldur Árnason, who just returned from the States where he was study-
ing at Winthorp College in South Carolina. This summer, Thorvaldur will test out
the knowledge he learned in college by working in the public relations depart-
ment at Reykjavík Energy. It’s all part of a working school project the company
operates, a internship program pulling 80 to 90 of the best and the brightest stu-
dents out of the classroom and into the work room. These students learn the
ropes in accounting, finance, engineering and law, to name a few.
“I’m applying a lot of things I did in school,” says Thorvaldur. “I’m pleased to be
doing what I studied. The experience here will probably help me get a full time
job somewhere.”
The summer program not only allows students to glean valuable work experi-
ence, but also provides Reykjavík Energy with a powerful injection of youth.
“We utilise their talents,” says Helgi Pétursson, project manager with Reykjavík
Energy. “They come to us from all types of university departments, from eco-
nomics to marketing. They’re engaged in regular projects as well as specific
research projects.”
This shot of youth becomes more potent with the “summer jobs program”, which
employs up to 300 teens to work outdoors in Reykjavík planting trees, landscap-
ing, painting – in essence giving the city a manicure.
Great outdoors
We all have different reasons for our trips to Iceland. However, most tourists have
one thing in common. They want to experience the country’s strikingly unusual
nature.
Whether it’s to get lost in the mossy mounds of Eldhraun, one of the world’s
largest lava fields, or to trek across Europe’s largest glacier, nature calls. Many of
Iceland’s natural highlights have been off-limits to most visitors because there
was no way to wade through the natural obstacles – cliffs, crevices, rivers – unless
you were a professional mountaineer.
But that’s changed over the years. Thanks to Reykjavík Energy, roads and hiking
paths have been laid down and maintained on a regular basis. The areas them-
selves are kept up through the planting of trees and grass. In essence, the com-
pany is a caretaker of wilderness.
New energy
It’s estimated that on average over five people move to Reykjavík each day. This
means the demand for natural resources is always rising. While Iceland has an
abundance of geothermal water, over-utilisation is still an issue. This is why
Reykjavík Energy has been developing new energy areas. Currently, a new geot-
hermal power plant is being developed at Hellisheidi – a mountainous area about
20 minutes east of Reykjavík. The new plant, which will generate 120 megawatts
of electricity and 400 megawatts of geothermal power, should be operational by
2006. Electricity from the plant will be sold to Nordurál (Nordic Aluminium),
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