Employees of Reykjavík Energy (OR) have dumped almost 100,000 tons of soil into craters on Hellisheidi heath between Reykjavík and Selfoss with the purpose of repairing a series of craters to make them look like they did in 1950.
The craters were damaged when geothermal energy was harnessed on the heath. The project also involves re-establishing natural vegetation in the area, Fréttabladid reports.
According to OR’s horticulture manager Kristinn H. Thorsteinsson, the project will take a few years and could cost up to ISK 300 million (USD 3.75 million, EUR 2.41 million).
Recently someone deliberately mixed-up experiments undertaken by OR and the Agricultural University of Iceland on Hellisheidi, which Thorsteinsson said will delay the cultivation project by two years.
OR will not make an effort to hide pipes and lines that are part of the company’s energy harnessing on Hellisheidi, but such pipes will in future be constructed to fit in better with the surrounding environment.
