Preliminary environmental assessment for drilling in the Krísuvík-Trölladyngja area, SW-Iceland

Abstract

The Krísuvík-Trölladyngja high-temperature area is located on the Reykjanes Peninsula, SW-Iceland. This area has been investigated for geothermal resources by various researchers in the past due to the interest in using geothermal steam. This report presents a preliminary environmental impact assessment for drilling in the Krísuvík-Trölladyngja geothermal fields. A preliminary review is carried out of the environmental components and the proposed project in order to decide whether to carry out an environmental impact assessment (EIA) and what key impacts, issues and alternatives to consider. In this study, an attempt has been made to identify the likely impact of drilling and potential mitigating measures. A checklist was used for impact identification, while for impact prediction a matrix was utilized. The results of this study suggest that detailed studies be carried out on water supply for drilling, on how to get rid of effluent water, on the monitoring of gas emissions to the atmosphere and on steam flow and gas concentrations in steam.