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Reykjanes

Geothermal power plant in Southern Peninsula, Iceland. Approximate location 63.8251, -22.6848.

GeothermalSouthern PeninsulaIceland

Reykjanes is a 100 MW geothermal power station in Southern Peninsula, Iceland. It is operated by HS Orka. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 188k homes (estimated). It ranks #9 of 20 Iceland power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1977, it is around 49 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, geothermal supplies about 29.2% of Iceland's electricity; the national grid averages 28 gCO₂/kWh (100.0% low-carbon) (2024).

100Legacy source-record capacity
187,714homes powered (est.)
1977commissioned (~49 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1002806.

Data status

Known data

FacilityReykjanes WRI
CountryIceland · Southern Peninsula WRI
Coordinates63.8251, -22.6848 WRI
FuelGeothermal WRI
MW installed capacity100 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerHS Orka WRI
Commissioned1977 WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#9 of 20 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#3 of 6 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.00× · 100 MW median · 6 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent187,714 calculated
Climate4.8°C · HDD 4,810 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 28/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 100 MW, Reykjanes is around the median geothermal plant in Iceland (100 MW). Geothermal plants tap underground heat to raise steam for a turbine; they provide steady, low-carbon baseload but are limited to geologically active regions.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Capacity vs largest geothermal plants in Iceland

Hellisheiði: 202 MW202HellisheiðiNesjavellir: 120 MW120NesjavellirReykjanes: 100 MW100ReykjanesSvartsengi: 75 MW75SvartsengiKrafla: 60 MW60KraflaBjarnarflag: 3 MW3Bjarnarflag

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

Owner

Operated by HS Orka.

Local climate & thermal context

This geothermal plant taps underground heat to raise steam that drives a turbine. It sits in a subpolar oceanic climate (Köppen Cfc) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 63.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

4.8°Cannual mean temp
4,810heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
17 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 0 °CJF: 1 °CFM: 1 °CMA: 3 °CAM: 6 °CMJ: 9 °CJJ: 11 °CJA: 10 °CAS: 8 °CSO: 5 °CON: 2 °CND: 1 °CD11 °C

Heating degree-days here run 96% 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: 93/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

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.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with marine corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
28/100environmental-severity index
10.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
8 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #3 largest geothermal power plant of 6 in Iceland by capacity.

Iceland has 6 geothermal power plants in this dataset, together about 560 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 63.8251, -22.6848 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Reykjanes?

Reykjanes is a 100 MW source-record geothermal power plant in Southern Peninsula, Iceland, commissioned in 1977.

How many homes can Reykjanes power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 187,714 homes (estimated).

Who operates Reykjanes?

Reykjanes is operated by HS Orka.

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