Veitur to drill for 120C water at two Reykjavík sites

Veitur will begin drilling for hot water at two locations in Reykjavík around the turn of September and October, mbl.is reports. The drilling will take place in Bolholt and at Engjateigur, including the corner of Suðurlandsbraut and Kringlumýrarbraut and the opposite corner between Valhöll and the Stock Exchange.

Silja Ingólfsdóttir, Veitur’s information officer, said preparations were under way for the arrival of the drilling rigs. The 40-tonne rigs require the ground to be reinforced so it can support them.

Veitur says the projects are intended to ensure sufficient hot water for consumption and heating as Iceland’s population grows. The company has had to restrict supplies to large users such as swimming pools and bathing lagoons several times during the coldest periods of winter.

The low-temperature areas being drilled belong to Laugarnes. They are allowed to recover during the summer, when sufficient hot water is available from power plants, before being used again during winter.

About 30 per cent of all hot water used in Reykjavík west of the Elliðaá river comes from Laugarnes. The area produces water at 120C, which is too hot to be sent directly to homes and is therefore mixed at pumping stations.

Most of the hot water is used for space heating. Silja said an average-sized radiator uses the equivalent of six bathtubs of hot water per day. She also advised residents to keep lids on hot tubs to prevent continuous water flow and save energy.

North Tech Drilling is responsible for the work after winning a tender worth billions of krónur from Orkuveitan and Veitur in August 2024. The drilling locations were identified in cooperation with specialists from Iceland GeoSurvey.

Drilling in Bolholt is expected to last four to six weeks, while work at Engjateigur will continue into spring. The latter project involves more and deeper wells and is technically more complex.

The electrically powered rigs are expected to be particularly quiet and have a smaller carbon footprint than rigs using fossil fuels.

Veitur will hold a public meeting on August 18 to present the projects. The company said it hopes to discuss the work with nearby residents, embassies and hotels.