International opposition to N Iceland dam project
Svartá. Photo: Group's Facebook page
“Please help us convince Icelandic authorities to stop this madness,” is the heartfelt plea of an international Facebook page set up this month in protest against the planned building of a hydro power station on the Svartá river in North Iceland.
The river is described as an anglers’ paradise and the ‘Save Iceland’s River Svartá’ group is concerned about the environmental impact of the planned new power station.
The group is spearheaded by Norwegian fisherman Morten Harangen has so far attracted almost 2,200 members.
The planned works involve damming the Svartá river to enable a future hydro power plant to generate 9.8 MW of electricity for the Icelandic national grid.
“According to our Icelandic sources, the environmental consequences of the project have not been discussed at all,” claims the group.
“It does not take a rocket scientist, however, to conclude that a hydro power station will damage a vulnerable ecosystem like the Svartá – and possibly the area in general. To what extent we do not know, but are we willing to wait and see?”
The Icelandic Planning Agency concluded last week that the Svartá power-plant project shall be subject to an environmental-impact assessment under Icelandic environmental law.
