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Hrauneyjafoss

Hydro power plant in South, Iceland. Approximate location 64.2009, -19.2406.

HydroSouthIceland

Hrauneyjafoss is a 210 MW hydro power station in South, Iceland. It is operated by Landsvirkjun. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 210,240 homes (estimated). It ranks #4 of 20 Iceland power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1981, it is around 45 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 70.7% of Iceland's electricity; the national grid averages 28 gCO₂/kWh (100.0% low-carbon) (2024).

210MW installed capacity
210,240homes powered (est.)
1981commissioned (~45 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1002797.

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Iceland

Fljótsdalsvirkjun (Kárahnjúkar ): 690 MW690Fljótsdals…Búrfell: 270 MW270BúrfellHrauneyjafoss: 210 MW210Hrauneyjaf…Blanda: 150 MW150BlandaSigalda: 150 MW150SigaldaSultartangi: 120 MW120SultartangiBúðarháls: 95 MW95BúðarhálsVatnsfell: 90 MW90Vatnsfell

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Landsvirkjun. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a polar tundra climate (Köppen ET) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 64.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

1.2°Cannual mean temp
6,134heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
576 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -4 °CJF: -4 °CFM: -4 °CMA: -1 °CAM: 3 °CMJ: 7 °CJJ: 9 °CJA: 8 °CAS: 4 °CSO: 1 °CON: -2 °CND: -4 °CD9 °C

Heating degree-days here run 150% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 98/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

In colder climates, uninsulated hot equipment (boilers, turbines, valves, steam lines) loses proportionally more heat to ambient air — exactly the loss Inzonex modular insulation is designed to cut.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #3 largest hydro power plant of 14 in Iceland by capacity.

Iceland has 14 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 1,913 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 64.2009, -19.2406 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

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