Urriðafoss (, "sea trout waterfall") is a
waterfall
A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in severa ...
located in the river
Þjórsá
Þjórsá () is Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykja ...
in southwest
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...
. With a flow rate of 360 m³/s, it has the highest average water flow of any waterfall in Iceland, and the second highest in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...
behind the
Rheinfall
, photo = File:SBB RABe 514 DTZ Rheinfall.jpg
, photo_width = 280
, photo_caption = Rhine Falls with Rheinfall Bridge and Laufen Castle
, location = On the border between the cantons of Schaffhausen and Zürich next to Schaffhausen, i ...
.
The
Fossafélagið Títan
Fossafélagið Títan (Titan Waterfall Company) was an Icelandic company founded in 1914 to develop hydroelectric power plants.
From 1914 to 1919 the company acquired shares of water rights and contracts with mine owners in Iceland.
In 1927 the ...
company was given permission in 1927 to build a power plant in Urriðafoss in connection with a railway to Reykjavík from the waterfall.
It did not happen but now
Landsvirkjun
Landsvirkjun, () the National Power Company of Iceland, is Iceland's largest electricity generator. Landsvirkjun operates 18 power plants in Iceland concentrated on five main areas of operation.
History
Landsvirkjun was founded on 1 July 1965 ...
is planning to build
hydropower station
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...
s on the lower part of Þjórsár river, at Urriðafoss and Núpur.
The proposed Urriðafoss Power Plant is expected to have a capacity of approximately 125 MW and a power-generating capacity of 930 GWh per year. The powerhouse will be underground and a tunnel leading from the powerhouse will open out into Þjórsá river below Urriðafoss waterfall. The waterfall is expected to disappear if the powerhouse is built. Local residents in the area are protesting against the construction in an effort to save Urriðafoss.
See also
*
List of waterfalls by flow rate
This list of waterfalls by flow rate includes all waterfalls which are known to have an average flow rate or discharge of at least . The waterfalls in this list are those for which there is verifiable information for, and should not be assumed t ...
References
External links
Nýjar virkjanir í Þjórsá - English summaryMap of proposed power plant in UrriðafossFaults and fractures of the South Iceland Seismic Zone near Þjórsá
Waterfalls of Iceland
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