Skip to main content

Just In

AI‑Powered Geothermal Digital Twins for Smart Reservoir Management, Fiber‑Optic Sensing, Real‑Time Monitoring, and Machine‑Learning‑Driven Exploration

By Robert Buluma Alphaxioms
Post a Comment

HS Orka Defies Nine Volcanic Eruptions to Launch Iceland’s Largest-Ever Geothermal Turbine in Svartsengi

Image
By Robert Buluma Alphaxioms
Iceland Commissions Its Largest Geothermal Turbine: Seventh Power Plant in Svartsengi Officially Launched

Posted on December 2, 2025 By: Robert Buluma

In a remarkable display of human resilience against nature’s fury, Iceland has officially commissioned its newest and most powerful geothermal power plant expansion. On December 1, 2025, the seventh power plant in Svartsengi was inaugurated in a festive ceremony attended by dignitaries and guests, marking a historic milestone for renewable energy in Iceland.

A 55 MW Giant: The Largest Steam Turbine in Iceland

At the heart of the new facility is a massive 55 MW turbine-generator unit the largest steam turbine ever installed in Iceland. The official unveiling was performed by Iceland’s Minister of the Environment, Energy and Climate, Jóhann Páll Jóhannsson, together with Tómas Már Sigurðsson, CEO of HS Orka.

“Building the newest power plant in Iceland while keeping every original deadline  despite the natural disasters that have struck the Reykjanes peninsula  is an extraordinary achievement,” said Tómas Már Sigurðsson.

Built Through Nine Volcanic Eruptions

Construction began with the groundbreaking in late 2022 and faced unprecedented challenges. Since November 2023, the Sundhnúksgígaröð volcanic system has erupted nine times,forcing repeated evacuations and causing severe gas pollution. The construction site was completely closed for four months from November 2023 to March 2024.

Despite these extreme conditions, the project was completed on schedule and within budget a testament to outstanding coordination between contractors, HS Orka staff, civil protection authorities, and emergency responders.

Key Project Highlights

Total investment: Over 14 billion ISK (~$100 million USD)
New capacity added: Increases Svartsengi’s electricity production by up to one-third
Current total capacity: Approximately 63 MW of electricity + extensive hot water production for district heating
Future potential: Permits already secured for expansion up to 85 MW

The new plant replaces two older units while significantly upgrading equipment related to hot water production for the Greater Reykjavík area.

Major Contractors Behind the Success

Ístak Civil works and site safety coordination  
Rafal Electrical installations  
HD– Mechanical installations  
Verkís & OG Architects – Design  
Fuji Electric (Japan) – Supplied the record-breaking turbine and generator  

At peak construction, up to 120 workers were on site daily, requiring meticulous emergency planning during volcanic alerts.

Svartsengi: Iceland’s First Combined Geothermal Power and Heating Plant

The Svartsengi Power Station, originally built in the 1970s under the name Hitaveita Suðurnesja (predecessor of HS Orka), pioneered the combined production of electricity and hot water from geothermal resources. Over the decades, it has been expanded in six previous phases. This seventh phase represents the largest single upgrade in the plant’s nearly 50-year history.

Why This Matters for Iceland’s Green Energy Future

This project is more than just new megawatts it’s proof that renewable energy infrastructure can be built even in the world’s most geologically active regions. With Iceland already running on nearly 100% renewable electricity, expansions like Svartsengi ensure long-term energy security, support growing demand (including from data centers and industry), and reinforce the country’s position as a global leader in geothermal energy.

As volcanic activity continues on the Reykjanes peninsula, the successful completion of this plant sends a powerful message: where there’s steam, there’s a way.


Congratulations to HS Orka, all contractors, and the resilient teams who turned a volcanic challenge into a renewable energy triumph!



Source: Hs Orka

Connect with us: LinkedIn, X

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fervo Energy Drilling Breakthrough: 3.0 Well Design Boosts Enhanced Geothermal Power at Cape Station

By Robert Buluma Alphaxioms
Fervo Energy’s Latest Drilling Milestone Shows How Enhanced Geothermal Systems Are Becoming Faster, Deeper, and More Competitive Fervo Energy has delivered another eye-catching milestone in the race to make geothermal power more scalable. The company says it drilled Sawtooth 7, the ninth well using its 3.0 well design at Cape Station Phase II, in just 21 days, while reaching 19,448 feet measured depth with a 7,500-foot lateral in a 460-degree Fahrenheit resource [source provided by user]. That is not just a technical achievement; it is a strong signal that enhanced geothermal systems may be moving closer to commercial maturity . This is just a few weeks after it's most exceptional IPO .  What makes this announcement important is the combination of speed, depth, and complexity. Fervo is not claiming a simple fast drill in favorable conditions. It is saying the newest well was deeper, hotter, and longer than its earlier designs, yet still matched the same 70% reduction in drilling...
Post a Comment
Read more

Hephae Energy Raises $17.8 Million to Deploy Superhot Geothermal Drilling Technology and High‑Temperature MWD Tools for Next‑Generation EGS

By Robert Buluma Alphaxioms
Hephae Energy Technology’s $17.8 million Series A marks a major step for “ superhot ” geothermal and advanced EGS , because it funds the commercial rollout of ultra‑high‑temperature drilling tools that can actually survive and steer wells in conditions where legacy oil and gas hardware fails. A new wave of capital for superhot geothermal drilling  Hephae Energy Technology Corp ., headquartered in Houston, has closed a $17.8 million Series A round dedicated to bringing its ultra‑high‑temperature drilling systems into full commercial use. This raise lifts the company’s total funding to $24.7 million and effectively moves it from the prototype and pilot phase into a scale‑up trajectory for next‑generation geothermal hardware. For a sector where deep, hot wells are still constrained by tool limitations rather than just resource potential, this is a material inflection point. The round is tightly aligned with the global push toward “superhot rock” and advanced enhanced geothermal syste...
Post a Comment
Read more

Jnayin Nourah Project Geothermal Cooling Breakthrough in Riyadh Saudi Arabia Campus

By Robert Buluma Alphaxioms
Jnayin Nourah Project to Pioneer Open-Space Cooling with PrimeLoop Geothermal Technology Image : The signing ceremony  A major new geothermal cooling project in Riyadh is positioning Saudi Arabia at the forefront of next-generation district cooling.  The Jnayin Nourah Project, located on the Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University campus, is being developed as the world’s first open-space cooling application using Strataphy’s PrimeLoop geothermal technology. This is a significant milestone because it combines three things that are rarely brought together at this scale: geothermal cooling, district cooling, and open-space deployment. In a region where cooling demand is enormous and water scarcity is a constant concern, the project could become a powerful example of how innovation and sustainability can work together. A global first in cooling The headline claim is bold: this is the first open-space cooling geothermal system of its kind anywhere in the world. The project is...
Post a Comment
Read more

Terravanta Power Systems Geothermal Manufacturing Facility in Loxley, Alabama: Major U.S. Clean Energy Supply Chain Expansion

By Robert Buluma Alphaxioms
Terravanta Power Systems Breaks Ground on New Geothermal Manufacturing Facility in Loxley, Alabama Terravanta Power Systems is preparing to break ground on a new geothermal energy manufacturing facility in Loxley, Alabama, a move that could strengthen the United States’ geothermal supply chain at a critical moment for clean energy growth. The project, announced in early July 2026, signals that geothermal is no longer being discussed only as a resource underground, but as an industrial sector that needs factories, equipment, and domestic manufacturing capacity to scale. What makes this announcement especially important is that it sits at the intersection of energy transition and industrial policy. Geothermal power has long been valued for being reliable, low-carbon, and available around the clock, but one of its persistent challenges has been the lack of a mature, widely distributed equipment base. Terravanta’s new facility suggests the market is beginning to respond to that gap. The ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Poland White Paper Analysis: Regulatory Changes, Market Impact, and Future Trends

By Robert Buluma Alphaxioms
Geothermal Energy in Poland: Deep Research Brief Executive Summary Poland represents a rapidly emerging European geothermal heat market, transitioning from a niche sector to a strategic pillar of the country's energy transition. With 8 operational geothermal heating plants, over 43 documented thermal water deposits, and a project pipeline of 72 developments, the sector is poised for significant expansion under the 2022 Geothermal Road Map, which envisages 50 systems by 2040 . Unlike the Netherlands' shallow, low-enthalpy resource, Poland's geothermal assets include higher-temperature reservoirs (up to 90°C at 2,600 meters) and strong government backing through substantial subsidy programs totaling 920 million złotys (€215 million) for 56 drillings between 2016-2025 . Electricity generation remains a secondary, longer-term prospect tied to innovative technologies such as CO₂-EGS systems . 1. Sector Status and Resource Base Current Operational Landscape Poland operates 8 geot...
Post a Comment
Read more

Direct Air Capture and Geothermal Energy The Ultimate Carbon Negative Solution with Orca in Iceland as a Model for Future DAC Geothermal Carbon Removal Hubs

By Robert Buluma Alphaxioms
Direct air capture powered by geothermal is one of the few combinations that can credibly claim to be deeply carbon negative at scale.  Image : Direct air capture for fuel production  By pairing an energy‑hungry technology with round the clock low carbon baseload, it turns carbon removal from a theoretical idea into industrial infrastructure, and Climeworks’ Orca plant in Iceland is the clearest early example. Direct Air Capture And Geothermal The Ultimate Carbon Negative Combo Direct air capture is simple to describe and hard to do. The basic idea is to pull carbon dioxide out of ambient air and store it permanently underground. The problem is that air is a very dilute source of CO₂, so you have to move huge volumes of air through sorbent materials and then use heat and electricity to regenerate those sorbents. That makes DAC both capital intensive and energy hungry. If the energy comes from fossil fuels, the climate value collapses. If the energy comes from intermittent rene...
Post a Comment
Read more

Philippines Approves P10‑Billion Geothermal Risk Fund to Derisk Exploration and Boost Renewable Energy Investment

By Robert Buluma Alphaxioms
The Philippine government’s approval of a P10.07‑billion Philippine Geothermal Resource Derisking Facility is a pivotal move to unlock more baseload renewable energy, cut exploration risk for developers, and keep the country on track toward its 2040 clean energy targets. A landmark P10‑billion geothermal risk facility The Economy and Development Council (EDC) , chaired by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., has cleared the creation of a P10.07‑billion Philippine Geothermal Resource Derisking Facility. This facility is a government‑backed financing mechanism aimed squarely at the most difficult part of geothermal development: high‑risk, early‑stage exploration. By absorbing a portion of the financial risk associated with resource confirmation, the facility is designed to move more projects from concept into drilling and eventually to commercial operation. Geothermal has long been one of the Philippines’ strategic advantages, yet new development has lagged behind its technical potential. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Maryland Geothermal Rebate Program 2026: Residential Heating and Cooling Incentives Drive Strong Demand

By Robert Buluma Alphaxioms
Maryland’s Geothermal Rebate Program  FY26 Geothermal Rebate Program is entering its final stretch with funding already oversubscribed, which is a strong sign that homeowner interest in geothermal heating and cooling is rising quickly in the state.  The program offers a $3,000 rebate for eligible new geothermal heating and cooling systems for Maryland residents in single-family detached homes and townhomes, but the application portal is now closed while the state works through the existing queue. That update matters because it shows how incentive programs can move from a policy idea into real household demand very quickly. A program with a $150,000 budget does not usually run out of room unless homeowners, contractors, and installers all see geothermal as a practical investment. In Maryland’s case, the fact that requests exceeded the full FY26 budget suggests the market is responding to both energy-cost concerns and long-term efficiency goals. What the program offers The Maryl...
Post a Comment
Read more

Geothermal Project Finance Structuring: SPVs, Mezzanine Debt, Blended DFI Finance and Contingent Capital for Drilling Risk

By Robert Buluma Alphaxioms
Geothermal Project Finance Structuring: SPVs, Mezzanine Debt and Blended Capital for Drilling Risk Image : A depiction of a geothermal complete project  Geothermal power sits in an awkward place on the project finance spectrum. It behaves like long‑lived infrastructure once it’s operating, but it looks like frontier exploration during the early drilling phase. To build bankable deals in that environment, developers and investors have had to invent a toolkit of SPV structures, mezzanine drilling tranches, blended public–private finance and contingent instruments that allocate subsurface risk without blowing up returns. This is not just a technicality for lawyers and bankers. The way geothermal deals are structured determines whether otherwise viable resources ever reach financial close. It also shapes how much upside sponsors keep via GP carry, how quickly equity can recycle, and how development platforms position themselves in a crowded clean‑energy pipeline. Why geothermal is stru...
Post a Comment
Read more

Geothermal Energy in the Netherlands: Market Growth, Major Projects, and Future Power Potential

By Robert Buluma Alphaxioms
Geothermal Energy in the Netherlands: A Deep Research Brief Executive Summary The Netherlands has become one of Europe’s most advanced geothermal heat markets, moving from early pilot projects into commercial scale-up. In 2024, 23 operational installations produced 7.49 PJ of geothermal energy, and broader sector reporting indicates more than 30 operational installations are now active across the country . The market is led by direct heat for greenhouse horticulture, district heating, and selected industrial uses, while electricity generation remains a longer-term prospect because the country’s most accessible geothermal resources are generally better suited to heat than power . The Dutch case matters because it shows how geothermal grows when geology, demand, data, and policy align. National planning has long set ambitious expansion goals, including a pathway from roughly 3.5 PJ in 2018 toward 50 PJ by 2030 and more than 200 PJ by 2050 . More recent analysis is more cautious about the...
Post a Comment
Read more