Iceland studies magma power plant project

Geothermal energy like we have never been able to produce until now. With the mass of energy contained in magma, Iceland is seeking to reach pockets of molten rock, and thus considerably increase the output of future geothermal power plants.

A few weeks ago, we were worried about the consequences of the eruption of a volcano in Iceland. Tuesday January 9, the country seeks to tame these pockets of lava to transform them into an unlimited source of energy. This is the Krafla Magma Testbed project. Its objective is to dig a tunnel to the magma reservoir of a volcano, that is to say a pocket of molten rock like there are many under the earth’s crust. This could provide access to extreme temperatures and multiply the yields of geothermal power plants by 10 or 20.

To get an idea, today in a coal-fired power plant, the steam created reaches 450°C, while in geothermal energy, we cap at 250°C. Tomorrow, by digging under the volcanoes, we would easily reach 900°C. Enough to take geothermal energy to a whole new dimension, with much cheaper and much more efficient power plants.

The choice of location

To avoid the risk of triggering an eruption, we had to carefully choose the ideal location. The pocket of the Krafla volcano in Iceland stood out for itself. It is only 2 km deep and had already been pierced by chance a few years ago. This incident did not cause a catastrophe, thanks to the very specific composition of its magma.

Other concerns included some geothermal power plants, which had to be shut down because they caused earthquakes. For Krafla, there should be no problem: there is so much energy in the magma that hydraulic fracturing is not necessary.

Drilling planned for 2026

However, it will not be an easy task. The equipment must operate in an environment where temperature and corrosion will be extreme. They could be destroyed very quickly. This is why this equipment is currently undergoing intensive testing.

Drilling is planned for 2026. Geologists preferred to be cautious. Initially, these will simply be scientific observations. This is the first time that we will have the opportunity to analyze magma in its natural environment. Researchers will therefore first try to learn more about volcanic activity, in order to better assess the risks before considering using volcanoes as a source of energy.