A new electric cable laid to Grindavík temporarily
5th June 2024
A new electric cable will be laid to Grindavík temporarily in order to bring electricity to the town. Electric cables had given way during the ongoing earthworks at Sundhnjúk crater.
The Executive Committee for Grindavík considers it urgent to secure electricity for the town. The committee has therefore made a proposal to the Minister of Infrastructure to authorize and finance an emergency connection. The proposal was presented at a cabinet meeting yesterday. The committee officially started working at the end of the month and this is one of its first projects.
The implementation of a temporary connection was done in cooperation with HS Veitur, but it is believed that construction of such a connection will take up to six days.
Ways to establish a permanent or final connection between Landsnet's transmission system and Grindavíkur will continue to be discussed.
A more detailed description of the temporary connection
Half of the route, where the temporary connection will be laid, will use an older cable that runs from Svartsengi to HS Orku's drilling platform. A new section will be plowed on the side of the borehole road and a cable will be rammed where it is not possible to reach the full depth.
A new ground cable will be connected to the ground station at HS Orku's Borholuplani and then to the distribution station DRE-154 at Matorku, and in this way the existing infrastructure is being used. Cables run from the distribution center to Grindavík and nearby companies. The new lava destroyed part of a cable that runs from DRE-154 to Grindavík. On that part of the route, a new cable must be laid along the new lava and into Grindavík.
It is assumed that up to 4-5 MW can be transported through the cable.