Half of the hot water lost due to a leak
Almost half of the water running through the Grindavík pipeline is getting lost on the way due to a leak that is being worked on. mbl.is/Eyþór
Páll Erland, CEO of HS Veitur, says that half of the hot water that flows from Svartsengi to Grindavík does not reach the town. This is due to a leak that is now being remedied.
Hard to get pressure up in Grindavík
The pressure in the distribution system in Grindavík is very low and the leak is the reason why it has been difficult to get adequate pressure in the heating plant in Grindavík, even though the main known leak has been fixed in the town.
“The cause of the leak is still not known and in consultation with the Civil Protection Service, we have already started to dig down on the fault. Then it will be revealed what’s in the way and what can be done to repair it.”
This problem is local to Grindavík, Erland says, and it does not affect the rest of Suðurnes. Two pipelines run from Svartsengi. One goes to Reykjanesbær (the Njarðvík pipeline which broke during the last eruption. The other one is the Grindavík pipeline that broke in the Jaruary eruption, and that is the one that is being fixed.
The pipeline is not in danger of breaking
Erland says that this failure has no effect in Grindavík beyond the situation that has existed in the town for quite some time now.
Repair work has already started and he believes that the work can be measured ahead of time, without being able to confirm it now.
He says it is important to establish normal pressure in the water in Grindavík and to treat the water produced in the power plant in Svartsengi well. He does not believe there is a risk of the pipes breaking down.
