Straumsvík

Straumsvík
Straumsvík with the aluminum plant
Waters	Greenland Sea
Land mass	Iceland
Geographical location	64 ° 2 ′ 49 ″  N , 22 ° 2 ′ 1 ″  W Coordinates: 64 ° 2 ′ 49 ″  N , 22 ° 2 ′ 1 ″  W
width	600 m
depth	700 m

Straumsvík is a small bay three kilometers west of the Icelandic town of Hafnarfjörður .

This bay is known for the first aluminum plant in Iceland. It was built in 1969 by the Alusuisse company and officially opened on May 3, 1970. In Iceland there is no raw material, but cheap electrical energy. Búrfellsvirkjun , the first large hydroelectric power plant in Iceland, was built for this plant . With 460 employees, the plant is one of the largest employers in the country. In autumn 2006 and spring 2007 the residents of Hafnarfjörður narrowly voted against further expansion of the plant. Now the factory is operated by the Canadian company Alcan .

The eye-catching silos and the long factory halls are right next to the Reykjanesbraut between the airport in Keflavík and the Reykjavík .

There are other aluminum plants in Iceland in Grundartangi on Hvalfjörður and in Reyðarfjörður with the Kárahnjúkavirkjun power plant .