The year started with good news as it was announced that ON Power's customers were the most satisfied in the electricity market. This was the fourth consecutive year that ON received the Satisfaction Scale award. ON was also the year's highest jumper when looking at all companies in all sectors in Iceland.
Árni Hrannar Haraldsson was appointed CEO of ON Power at the end of January and began his duties on May 1.
In early February, the National Planning Agency announced an Environmental Impact Assessment report from Carbfix regarding the environmental assessment of CO2 sequestration at Hellisheiði. It was the first environmental assessment of its kind in Iceland.
It became clear in February that Sævar Freyr Þráinsson would be the new CEO of Reykjavík Energy, taking over on April 1st from Bjarni Bjarnason, who had been CEO for 12 years.
Reykjavík Energy won the Education Shoot in 2023 for its project Growth Shoots, and the awards were presented on the Education Day of the business sector. The project aims to develop RE's workplaces and change culture to better cope with a changing environment and increasing demands and expectations of customers.
A new Carbfix pilot plant for carbon capture and storage at ON Power's Nesjavellir power plant was inaugurated in March. One of the project's goals is to lay the groundwork for the near-full capture of CO2 and H2S from the plant later on. The project is a significant step towards further reducing greenhouse gas emissions from geothermal power plants, which is one of Iceland's key projects in climate action.
Sólrún Kristjánsdóttir, CEO of Veitur Utilities, was elected to the board of the International Geothermal Association. She will sit on the association board for the next three years.
Iceland once again maintained its top spot as the European country with the highest proportion of households using fiber optic connections to meet their data transfer needs.
60 Minutes, the most popular news program in the United States, featured Carbfix's carbon capture method on CBS. Reporter Bill Whitaker visited the Hellisheiði Power Plant where Sandra Ósk Snæbjörnsdóttir and Kári Helgason spoke with him and explained the technology.
The Nesjavellir pipeline was cleaned in June, having last been cleaned 20 years ago. The purpose of the cleaning was to increase the pipeline's capacity. The Nesjavellir pipeline is one of the principal transportation routes for hot water to the capital area.
ON Power increased both public charging and rapid charging capacity during the year and has been a leader in energy transitions from the beginning. To get even more companies on board, ON Power began offering interested companies to set up rapid charging points on their premises.
ON Power and the land-based fish farming company GeoSalmo signed a power purchase agreement electricity contract of up to 28 MW of electricity to be used for a land-based fish farm in Þorlákshöfn.
The Icelandic Energy Authority concluded pleasingly for ON Power that the meters at the company's EV charging points meet requirements, but uncertainty about the issue had been evoked.
Reykjavík Energy submitted a request to the Iceland Energy Authority for the project management of the Energy Master Plan to discuss three wind power options near Hellisheiði.
Edda Sif Pind Aradóttir, CEO of Carbfix, and Árni Hrannar Haraldsson, CEO of ON Power, took the first shovel stroke for a new purification station, which will be named Steingerður. With its arrival, it will be possible to capture almost all carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide from Hellisheiði Power Plant.
Reykjavík Energy received confirmation from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) that the group's climate goals are based on scientific grounds and support the actions of the Paris Agreement to keep global warming below 1.5°C.
A collaborative project of 13 parties led by Carbfix, RMI, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) received a grant from the US Department of Energy to develop a project on carbon capture from the atmosphere and its storage in geological formations in the northwest United States. The grant amounts to USD 3 million.
Einar Þórarinsson was appointed the new CEO of Ljósleiðarinn at the end of the summer. Einar, who has over 20 years of experience as a manager, came to the company from Sidekick Health, and before that, he worked at Advania and Vodafone.
Everyone who could connect to Reykjavík Fibre Network had the opportunity to tenfold their speed from October when the maximum speed became 10 gigabits instead of 1. RFN looks to the future and prepares homes in the country for ongoing development.
Shareholders of Ljósleiðarinn ehf. approved at a shareholder meeting to increase thecompany's share capitaly by an amount corresponding to one-third of the company's share capital after the increase.
In September, a cruise ship was shore-powered in Reykjavík for the first time. Veitur laid the electrical cable for Faxaflóahafnir, and the connection can serve two ships simultaneously.
The purchase of Sýn hf.'s backhaul network by Reykjavík Fibre Network was approved unconditionally by the Iceland Competition Authority. Alongside the purchase agreement, a long-term service agreement was made between the companies.
Reykjavík Energy was awarded by the organisation Rise & Lead Women for its success in bridging the gender pay gap. Ellen Ýr Aðalsteinsdóttir, executive director of Human Resources and Culture, accepted the awards at a ceremonial event in The Hague.
Carbfix won the Nordic Blaze equality award in the "Guardian" category, which is awarded to companies or individuals working on sustainability, climate issues, and environmental protection with an emphasis on the links between diversity, inclusion, and climate protection.
This year, the summer employees of ON Power's land restoration team restored and planted 10 hectares of land, corresponding to the binding of 31.22 tons of CO2 per year!
Reykjavík Energy, Reykjavík Fibre Network and Veitur Utilities won the Equality Scale, an award from the Association of Women in Business, for achieving success in equalising the gender ratio of individuals in managerial positions. The awards were presented at a conference titled "We Lose on Uniformity - Equality is a Decision".
Women in Energy (KÍO) published its fourth report on the status of women within the Icelandic energy and utility sector. It showed that Veitur had the highest sample score, 71.1%.
A significant milestone was reached by Carbfix when experiments began in Helguvík to use seawater instead of freshwater for the permanent binding of carbon dioxide (CO2) in rock layers. The experiment is a novelty worldwide and an important step in the development of carbon capture technology.
A Curiosity Corner is opened at the Geothermal Exhibition at the end of October. The Corner is an educational space for children of all ages.
For the first time, TIME magazine published a list of the world's 100 most influential business leaders in the field of climate; among them was Edda Aradóttir, CEO of Carbfix.
Reykjavík Fibre Network received the European Broadband Awards for 2023 from the Council of Europe. The awards were given to RFN for the project "The Race Against Fagradalsfjall," which was undertaken when a volcanic eruption started near Fagradalsfjall in the spring of 2021. Axel Paul Gunnarsson accepted the awards at a ceremonial event in Brussels.
ON Power and Thor Landeldi ehf. signed a power purchase agreement that secures Thor 5 MW of electricity. Thor Landeldi is preparing on-land salmon farming near Þorlákshöfn.
Grants were awarded from Reykjavík Energy's Science Fund, VOR, in November when thirty projects received funding. One hundred million and five hundred thousand were distributed at a ceremonial event held in Elliðaárstöð.
The Presidential couple, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson and Eliza Reid, visited Reykjavík Energy on November 23, along with the mayor, Dagur B. Eggertsson, and his wife, Arna Dögg Einarsdóttir. The visit was part of the Presidential couple's official visit to Reykjavík.
Reykjavík Energy, the municipality of Ölfus, and Titan announced at a joint meeting plans to jointly apply for a research permit with cooperation on utilising geothermal energy in Ölfusdal in mind. A letter of intent was also signed between RE and the municipality of Ölfus.
Reykjavík Energy applied for a research permit from the Icelandic Energy Authority for geothermal research in Meitlar and Hverahlíð II for 10 years. There is a need for further energy production in Hengill in the coming decades to meet both the growing demand for hot water and to maintain and possibly increase electricity production.
At the end of the year, Veitur Utilities received utilisation permits from the Icelandic Energy Authority for geothermal energy at Bakki and Hjallakrókur in the municipality of Ölfus. There has been increasing demand in Ölfus for hot water, and it is essential that Veitur can fulfil its legal obligation and further ensure sufficient water for the heating utility.
