Reykjavik Energy (Reykjavik)

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Reykjavík Energy is an independent utility service owned by the City of Reykjavík, Akranes town and Borgarbyggð municipality. We distribute electricity and hot water for heating, and cold water for consumption and fire fighting. More than half of the Icelandic population lives within our service area. Providing quality service is our top priority.

Reykjavík Energy distributes electric power to consumers in Reykjavík and the municipalities of Kópavogur, Garðabær, Seltjarnarnes, Mosfellsbær and Akranes. Most of the electric energy is bought from the Landsvirkjun (National Power Company), while some of it is produced in our own power plants. We process geothermal heat straight from the earth in Mosfellsbær and Reykjavík and harness geothermal steam at the Nesjavellir power plant. In addition, we purchase hot water at wholesale from HAB (Akranes and Borgarnes Hot Water Utility) for distribution in Akranes and Borgarnes. Reykjavík Energy distributes hot water to consumers in Reykjavík, Kópavogur, Garðabær, Hafnarfjörður, Bessastaðahreppur county, Akranes and Borgarbyggð, as well as selling hot water at wholesale to Mosfellsbær. We gather cold water from boreholes in the Heiðmörk area and distribute to consumers in Reykjavík. Water wells by Akrafjall mountain provide the supply to inhabitants of Akranes. Furthermore, Reykjavík Energy sells cold water to the towns of Kópavogur, Seltjarnarnes and Mosfellsbær at wholesale.

Reykjavík Energy gathers and distributes environmentally- friendly energy in the most efficient way possible. We use rational exploitation of the energy source in accordance with laws, regulations and environmental assessments.
We aim to be a role model in how we treat our own land, therefore investing in re-vegetation and protection of animal species. The Reykjavík Energy policy is to provide customers with inexpensive, environmentally friendly energy, which is produced efficiently from renewable Icelandic energy sources. In this way, we support increased usage of pure, local energy and take part in national progress.

Electric Utility:

Most of the electric power Reykjavík Energy distributes and sells is processed in Landsvirkjun’s hydro-electric power stations, which are located some 70-150 km from the company’s distribution area. Electric power is also produced in the company’s steam power plant in Nesjavellir and carried to the utility area through a 132kV cable above ground as well as a subterranean cable to the Korpa substation, where it joins Landsvirkjun’s electrical power grid. Reykjavík Energy also produces electricity in Andakílsvirkjun power plant and in Elliðaárstöð power station.

Hot Water Utility:

Reykjavík Energy utilises water from four low-temperature areas: Laugarnes area and Elliðaár area in Reykjavík and Reykir and Reykjahlíð in Mosfellsbær. Reykjavík Energy also utilises the high-temperature area Nesjavellir.
The geothermal water from the low-temperature areas goes directly to the Reykjavík Energy distribution system, but the geothermal heat in Nesjavellir is used to heat cold ground water, which is used in Reykjavík. Akranes and Borgarnes Hot Water Utility (HAB) provides people in the Akranes and Borgarnes areas with hot water. Reykjavík Energy Fringe Utilities were established in 2003 and have served six municipalities around the main distribution area, with a seventh recently added.

Cold Water Utility:

The Reykjavík Energy wells are in Heiðmörk, on Kjalarnes peninsula, by Akrafjall mountain and in Grábrókarhraun lava. Reykjavík Energy fulfils the water needs of its customers and ensures that fire fighters have enough water. The emphasis is on quality, volume and safe delivery. Reykjavík Energy owns the largest cold water utility in Iceland and serves over 82% of people in the capital area. Reykjavík Energy is a progressive service business and one of the largest provisions companies in Iceland, when it comes to number of consumers. In 1999, the Reykjavik Municipal District Heating Utility became the first water utility in the Nordic Countries to receive an ISO-9001 certification.

Data Utility:

Reykjavík Energy has taken on a new role in telecommunications, which often is called the fourth utility because of how similar it is to the other Reykjavík Energy utilities in terms of logistics. Reykjavík Energy has built an optical cable network in the southwest part of the country, from Akranes to Reykjavík and over to the Westman Islands.

The data utility offers mostly information and fibre-optic connections or IP-Vlan over the Borgarnet city-wide network to technology companies for various services such as ASP, Internet, video, sound, etc.
Sewage
All operations of the Reykjavik Sewage Treatment Plant (RSTP) were transferred to Reykjavik Energy on 1 July 2005. RSTP's network of installations is approximately 750km in total length. Its largest visible structures are the cleaning facilities at Klettagarðar and Ánanaust, seven pumping stations and 6-7 smaller stations in various parts of the network. The value of this sewage system is estimated at about ISK 20 billion.

RSTP’s largest project to date – and one of the largest environmental improvement projects in Iceland’s history – is the cleaning of the Reykjavík coastline. Work on this project began in the autumn of 1980, when beach pollution had become a serious concern. The project received a substantial boost in 1995, when a special sewage charge was levied. It ended formally on 16 June 2005 when a pump station at Gufunes was brought into use and sewage from the city districts Grafarvogur and Grafarholt as well as the neighbouring town of Mosfellsbær were connected to the Klettagarðar cleaning plant. The estimated total cost of cleaning Reykjavík’s coastline is ISK 11.0 billion.

Website: www.or.is