The council of the municipality of Skeiða- and Gnúpverjahreppur has approved a construction licence for the Hvammur Power Station in the river Þjórsá. Earlier, the council of the municipality of Rangárþing ytra had approved a construction licence on its behalf. Thus, all the required licences for commencing the power station construction have been acquired. It is now estimated that the Hvammur Power Station will begin operations in 2029.
The majority of the council of the municipality of Skeiða- and Gnúpverjahreppur commented that the project follows the growth management plan, the evaluation report, rulings and decisions regarding the environmental assessment of the construction, and other available information, including the applicant's reasoned submission.
The municipality's planning officer was consigned to issue a construction licence for the Hvammur Power Station.
Eighth Power Station
The Hvammur Power Station will be in an area of the rivers Þjórsá and Tungnaá, Landsvirkjun's largest energy-generating area, already hosting seven power stations utilising the energy from the two drainage basins. The Hvammur Power Station will harness the stream of the river Þjórsá below the Búrfell Power Station, from Yrjasker, just above the farm Hagi, to below Ölmóðsey, to the east of Þjórsárholt.
A map of the current power stations and Hvammur Power Station's location
The Hvammur Power Station's installed capacity will be 95 MW, and the annual energy generation will be approximately 740 GWh.
Landsvirkjun has now acquired all the requisite licences to construct the Hvammur Power Station, which is a reason for joy, says Hörður Arnarson, CEO. We have already started preparing for the construction and will endeavour to commence operations in 2029. The construction work will begin before the end of this year, including road construction within the power station area, construction of fish ladders, and material processing for the tail race tunnel.
