COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Icelandic authorities are making preparations to construct defensive barriers around a geothermal power plant in the southwestern area of the country in hopes of shielding it from potential lava flows due to concerns about an imminent volcanic eruption.
Over the weekend, seismic activity and underground lava flows in the Reykjanes peninsula near the capital Reykjavik heightened.
Fears that molten rock could erupt to the earth’s surface within days led to the evacuation of nearly 4,000 individuals from the fishing town of Grindavik on Saturday.
Due to its location between the Eurasian and the North American tectonic plates, which are among the largest on the planet, Iceland is a hotspot for seismic and volcanic activity as the two plates move in opposite directions.
Iceland’s Justice Minister Gudrun Hafsteinsdottir informed state broadcaster RUV that a large dike has been planned to protect the Svartsengi geothermal power plant, situated just over six kilometers from Grindavik.
She stated that equipment and materials sufficient to fill 20,000 trucks were being transported to the plant.
However, the construction of the protective dike around the power station was pending formal approval from the government. The plant is responsible for producing hot and cold water as well as electricity for the Reykjanes peninsula.
A spokesperson for HS Orka, the operator of the power plant, mentioned to Reuters that the plant supplies power to the entire country, but any disruption would not impact power supply to the capital city, Reykjavik.
Seismic activity in southwestern Iceland decreased in size and intensity on Monday, however, the risk of a volcanic eruption remained significant, according to a statement from the Icelandic Meteorological Office.
As of late Monday night, the volcanic hazard assessment in and around Grindavik had not changed from Sunday.
Almost all of the town’s 3,800 residents were briefly granted entry into the town on Monday to gather their valuables, pets, and livestock, as stated by the Icelandic department of civil protection and emergency management, citing local police.
By Monday night, rescue charity Dyrfinna reported that most pets and farm animals had been saved from Grindavik.
(Reporting by Louise Breusch Rasmussen, Johannes Gotfredsen-Birkebaek and Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; editing by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Christina Fincher)
