Printer-friendly version
 go
|
|
April 10, 2008
Fjardaál in Newsweek
The latest issue of Newsweek magazine features a 3-page coverage on Alcoa Fjardaál and Iceland’s enormous success in utilizing renewable energy sources.
The article states that the US and other countries can learn a lot from the Icelandic experience in power issues. "We are blessed with a lot of clean and renewable energy," Prime Minster Geir H. Haarde told Newsweek. "The only uses of fossil fuels in Iceland are people using cars and the fishing fleet."
The article goes on: “From the cobblestone streets of downtown Reykjavik, the storybook-cute capital, to the stark fjords of the east, positive collateral benefits—many of them unintended—are evident. None looms larger than the new $1.5 billion Alcoa Fjardaal plant, which represents the largest single private-sector investment in Iceland's epic history. East Iceland, separated from the more populous west coast by the vast Vatnajokull glacier, has been down on its luck in recent years. The fishing villages nestled against the rocky shore, separated by mountains—one of which is penetrated by a terrifying one-lane tunnel—have been losing jobs and their youth to Reykjavik. Reindeer seem to outnumber people.”
“But the American aluminum giant decided to build its first new smelter in 20 years near the town of Reydarfjordur, largely because of the promise of abundant clean power. Smelters require an immense amount of energy. Power-intensive companies like Alcoa are concerned both with their images and with the potential for initiatives that imposes costs on burning fossil fuels—from emission caps to carbon taxes. So when Landsvirkjun, the national utility, said it would build a 690-megawatt hydroelectric power plant 30 miles away, Alcoa took the plunge. Construction began in 2004, and today the massive plant—its 336 pots cover an expanse of nearly three quarters of a mile, the largest such line in the world—produces massive quantities of aluminum bars, coil and sheets. "It's almost the ideal place to invest, because of the combination of a highly skilled work force, an open and transparent democracy and the endless supplies of renewable energy," says Jake Siewert, vice president for environment, health and safety at Alcoa.”
“The plant employs about 650 people directly—400 Alcoa employees and 250 contractors in areas such as maintenance, catering and security. Alcoa's presence has also stimulated the creation of an additional 300 jobs in shipping, logistics and engineering, says Tomas Sigurdsson, a Cornell-trained engineer who is managing director of Alcoa Fjaardaal. By creating enough jobs for 15 percent of the region's work force, the plant has lured Icelanders back to the east and stimulated the first housing construction in more than a decade. "The Alcoa project has revitalized the economy on the east coast of Iceland," says Prime Minister Haarde. The plant is also showpiece for Alcoa's sustainability efforts. As we sit in the glass-walled cafeteria, dining on curried Icelandic lamb and looking out over crystalline water, an official explains how new technology captures emissions from the plant's smokestacks.”
|
|
|
