A powerful new geothermal well on Kílhraun land at Áshildarmýri in Skeið

Drilling of a new production well for Hitaveita Kílhrauns at Áshildarmýri in Skeið was completed at the weekend with very good results. The well yields water at about 80°C, and the first results point to a large production capacity.

Drilling of a new production well for Hitaveita Kílhrauns at Áshildarmýri in Skeið was completed at the weekend with very good results. The well yields water at about 80°C, and the first results point to a large production capacity. ÍSOR geologists sited the well, and the institute has been involved in geothermal exploration in the area from the start.

Geothermal exploration on Kílhraun land in Skeið began about a decade ago. There were no visible signs of geothermal activity at the surface, so the exploration began with the drilling of temperature gradient wells to gather information on temperature and geological conditions below the surface.

The geologists Árni Hjartarson and Kristján Sæmundsson at ÍSOR led the geothermal exploration at the time. That work bore fruit, and in 2017 a production well was drilled which has since been the only production well of Hitaveita Kílhrauns.

Now a big step has been taken in the further development of the district heating utility. At the weekend, drilling was completed of a new production well at Áshildarmýri, sited by the ÍSOR geologists Sigurður Kristinsson and Auður Óladóttir.

The well was drilled with the rig Trölli from Ræktunarsamband Flóa og Skeiða and reached a depth of 792 metres. During air-lifting at the end of drilling it became clear that this is a well with a substantial water yield. The water temperature is about 80°C, and the first results indicate that more than 50 litres per second can be pumped from the well.

Further measurements and tests will give more detailed information on the capacity of the well, but the results already look very promising. The success at Áshildarmýri is a good example of the importance of targeted geothermal exploration. Although no signs of geothermal activity were visible at the surface when exploration began about a decade ago, systematic research, from temperature gradient measurements and geological interpretation to the siting of production wells, has now delivered a powerful geothermal resource that can support continued development in the area.

RÚV covered the drilling and spoke with the owners of the utility and the drilling foreman of Ræktunarsamband Flóa og Skeiða. The report notes that there are up to 300 plots in the area where access to hot water can matter greatly for continued development. Johnny Símonarson, the drilling foreman, also describes the well as one of the better wells in the area. Kristín Rós Hlynsdóttir, owner of the utility, says the new well creates a good resource for the area and believes the water could serve an entire municipality the size of Skeiða- og Gnúpverjahreppur.

The RÚV report is below.

Heilmikið af heitu vatni fannst í Áshildarmýri í Skeiða- og Gnúpverjahreppi (RÚV, in Icelandic)