Electricity generation at the Elliðaár power station ceased in 2014 after the penstock pipe burst. The damage was deemed beyond repair. Subsequently, it was examined whether it would be feasible to replace it, but the conclusion was negative; electricity from the station would be so expensive that it would be hard to find a buyer for it. In 2019, it was definitively stated that electric power production would not resume in the foreseeable future. Then, a competition for new ideas for using the buildings, all of which had been protected in 2012, was initiated. The development under the Elliðaárstöð brand is the result of that work.

Elliðaárstöð

The most significant structures of the Power Station at Elliðaár are rapidly undergoing a rebirth under the name Elliðaárstöð. Here lies a new experience in the Elliðaárdalur Valley where both children and adults can learn about history and science through interactive play.

Among the milestones in the development in 2023 were:

• The At the Bistro restaurant's opening following a tender for the premises.
• The installation of the steam drill Dofri, which has been called the most valuable equipment in the history of Iceland due to its role in the spread of district heating and other geothermal utilisation.
• A water play area for children of all ages was created. In 2023, 4,100 students visited Elliðaárstöð on school trips to learn about energy, environmental issues, and innovation.

Restoration of natural qualities in Elliðaárdalur

This is the title of a project that was launched within Reykjavík Energy in 2021, and in late 2022, it was reshaped and is now a collaborative project between RE and the Reykjavík City Environment and Planning Department. .

The project's objective, from RE's side, is to obtain approval for a statutory decommissioning plan for the Power Station, and from the City of Reykjavik's side, that the plan is reflected in the local zoning plan for the valley. The project emphasises strong information dissemination, but mistakes made by RE in its communication when Árbæjarlón (Árbær reservoir) was emptied in the fall of 2020.

Under the project's auspices, various data have been collected on the effects of emptying the reservoir and on the power generation structures in the valley, especially the Árbær Dam.

The salmon's great success

The reservoir had been filled and emptied alternately in autumn and spring until it was permanently emptied in the fall of 2020. Studies on the ecosystem since then strongly indicate that ceasing to create such instability in the river's ecosystem has already benefited the salmon. Reykjavík Energy has initiated special monitoring of the rivers' ecosystems, and below are links to reports on fish in the Elliðaá rivers and the Elliðavatn (Elliðaá Lake) ecosystem. "The ecological condition of Elliðaávatn is considered to be very good..." says, among other things, an abstract of the attached report from Iceland's Marine & Freshwater Research Institute.