The Kárahnjúkar Project is a hydroelectric project in Iceland. Construction is underway with completion scheduled for 2009. Five major dams are planned of which the largest will be 193m high and 730m long. The Hálslón reservoir will be 57 km² and provide a flow of 110m³/s which will generate 690MW.

The project is largely funded by Alcoa which is relocating aluminum production to save costs and carbon emissions. There has been some environmental protest: there will be destruction of a wilderness area and the raw materials for aluminum production will have to be imported. Unusually for a dam project, the social impact has been negligible and impact on wildlife is small.

External Link

Project Website