The water level in the Hálslón dam of the Kárahnjúkar hydropower plant in Iceland’s southeastern highlands is unusually low because of the cold weather in June. Last month was the coldest June in Iceland since 1952.
From Kárahnjúkar. Photo by Páll Stefánsson.
The water level in the dam has never been as low at this time of year since it opened in 2006. In the average year, the water level should have increased by now, ruv.is reports.
Last week the water level in the dam was stable at a height of 582 meters above sea level while the water level was 20 meters higher at the same time last year.
However, electricity production will not be affected before the water level drops below 570 meters and as temperatures are now rising, that is considered an unlikely scenario.
The low temperatures and northerly winds Iceland has been subject to lately have delayed the seasonal melting of glaciers. Now the melt will increase and the water level of Hálslón, which is fed by the glacial river Jökulsá á Brú, will rise accordingly.
