Benutzer:Bifröst Trio/Búðarháls Power Station

Búðarháls Hydropower Plant
Country	Iceland
Coordinates	64°14´07“N 15°47´25“W
Status	Operational
Opening date	07.03.2014
Dam and spillways
Type of Dam	Embankment, two rock-fill dams
Impounds	Tungnaá River Kaldakvísl River
Height	25 m (15.9 mi)
Length	170 m/ 1100 m (558 ft./ 3,608 ft.)
Dam volume	25.500 m³ (170m x 25m x 6m) 165.000 m³ (1100m x 25m x 6m)
Spillways	1
Spillway type	Headrace tunnel, penstock
Reservoir
Creates	Sporðalda Reservoir
Total capacity	50 hm³
Surface area	7 km²
Power station
Operator(s)	Landsvirkjun
Turbines	2 x 47,5 MW (95 MW) Kaplan-type
Installed capacity	95 MW
Annual generation	585 GWh

Búðarháls hydroelectric power plant (Islandic: Búðarhálsstöð) is the 7th largest power station of Landsvirkjun, which is located in the south of Iceland (around 150 km east from Reykjavík), among the Þjórsá- and Tungnaá River water catchment area, near the junction of the Kaldakvísl river and Tungnaá river. It was officially launched on March 7th, 2014. This power plant is the newest of six other hydroelectric plants (Búrfell, Sultartangi, Hrauneyjafoss, Vatnsfell and Sigalda) in the Þjórsá-Tungnaá area and it is able to produce 585 GWh annually with its installed capacity of 95 MW (2 x 47,5 MW). The created reservoir Sporðalda in the southeast of the mountain, with a surface of 7km² and a total capacity of 50hm³, is backed-up by two embankment dams. The Búðarháls power station is very important to the development of Iceland´s hydropower plants, since it connects all power plants on this river, which allows Iceland to use the whole river from the top until the bottom to its fullest, in order to make it unnecessary to destroy and dam other rivers instead.

Power Plant Details:

The Búðarháls Hydroelectric Power Station consist of the power plant building, two dams and a tunnel. The Búðarháls power house measures a size of around 66.800 m³ (55,400m x 31,05m x 38,84 m/ 26,54m underground), which contains two Kaplan turbines with a capacity of 47,5 MW each. Together the installed capacity measures 95 MW and are able to produce 585 GWh p.a. with a flow rate of 280 m³/s and a head of 40m. The two rock-fill dams were built to the east of the mountain´s ridge and a little upstream of the juncture of the Tungnaá and Kaldakvísl River. The NW-dam runs across the Kaldakvísl River and the SE-dam was constructed over the tail water from the Hrauneyjafoss Power Station. Both dams are around 25m high and have a total length of 1300m (170m and 1100m). The drill and blast headrace tunnel, which is 4km long, 11,3m wide and 14,7m high, provides the turbines and the power plant with water from the new created intake Sporðalda reservoir. The tunnel transports the water through the mountain to a surge basin on the west side near the Sultartangi Reservoir, afterwards two 60m long steel pressure pipes (steel lined penstocks) are moving the water into the station´s turbines. The produced energy from the turbines is directed from the generator to the transformer, which is located in the front of the station, after that it is sent underground to the Landsnet substation and further to the Hrauneyjar line onto the National grid.

Project development:

The construction work of the Búðarháls Hydroelectric Plant began in the end of 2001. After preparing the construction site in order to make it easier accessible, the actual and official construction work began in November 2010, in which 65.000 m³ of concrete and 4.500 tonnes of steel was used. The digging operations were finished in September 2012 and in the end of 2013 they completed the powerhouse, the intake structure and filled the Sporðalda reservoir. After the reservoir and the dam were filled, they took the Power Station into operation and after some testing the Búðarháls hydroelectric power plant was officially brought online on the 7th of March 2014.

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