Work on the boreholes in Viðlagafjara continues. The purpose of the boreholes is to provide seawater from the ground to LAXEY that will be used in the grow-out site. Árni ehf. oversees the drilling of the wells for LAXEY, but a contract was made with Árni ehf. May 4, 2023.
In recent months, people from Árni ehf. have been on the island preparing the work and drilling the holes. Boreholes with two different depths will be made. Holes with a depth of 130 meters (about 400 ft) will be made to provide warm seawater for heat exchangers. Holes with a depth of 36 meters (about 131 ft) will be drilled to provide seawater for the tanks on the grow-out site. These holes will have a diameter of 711 mm (about 2.3 ft) and are amongst the widest that have been made for this purpose in Iceland. Árni ehf. is equipped with an advanced drill to accomplish the task.
Árni ehf. Uses an RC drill, a form of percussion drilling that uses compressed air to flush material cuttings out of the drill hole safely and efficiently. It takes them about 5 days to drill the 36 meters holes. Which most of that time goes to preparations, planning and welding the pipes together. For a 36-meter hole, there are three 12-meter pipes welded together.
The main purpose of taking the seawater from the boreholes is that the sea has not been in contact with other marine organisms and is also warmer. The water temperature is one of the key factors that affect the growth of salmon. Before the seawater is put into the tanks, it is treated to ensure the best possible growth conditions for the salmon, but the seawater effluent is also filtered before it is returned. Clean seawater into the tanks and clean seawater out of the tanks.
It is expected that phase 1 will require 13 boreholes, two with a depth of over 130 meters (about 400 ft) and 11 with a depth of 40 meters (about 131 ft).
