Residents of the northern Westfjords region can look forward to greater energy security next winter with this week’s formal opening of the powerful new backup generator in Bolungarvík.
Westfjords residents, who are sometimes cut off from the rest of the country during the worst winter storms, have had this compounded for decades by having to live with frequent power cuts as well.
It is a common story in the northern Westfjords: the electricity goes off and there is not enough back-up power to go round. More often than not, it happens when the weather is at its worst; compounding any danger of avalanche or other major incident.
Now the new power station has been opened this week, future power cuts should be short and the electricity should come back on easily—thereby increasing residents’ safety and convenience.
Ironically, the generator was supposed to be officially opened before the New Year, when it actually came online, but that ceremony had to be canceled due to bad weather.
Guests at the opening included the minister of industry, the mayor of Bolungarvík, the head of the national grid and the director of the Westfjords power company, Vísir reported.
