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Monday’s storm causes unprecedented destruction of power pylons in the Westfjords 1728

12. nóv 2015 12:22

Kristján Haraldsson, head of the Westfjord power utility, tells the local news site bb that he has never seen comparable damages to the distribution system. He has yet to make a full estimate of the damages, so it is too soon to say if Monday’s storm was the greatest financial catastrophe to the utility.

Read more: Farm in Dýrafjörður, Westfjords, could be without electricity for days after Monday's storm

The Westfjord utility serves the rural and urban areas of the Westfjords, a very sparesely populated area with high deep fjords, high mountains and characterized by frequent storms and avalanches. The total population of the Westfjords is a little less than 7,000 or about 2,14% of the total population of Iceland.

Kristján estimates the financial damages due to the broken pylons is at least 50-100 million ISK (390,000 USD/350,000 EUR -780,000 USD/700,000 EUR ). Large parts of the Westfjords are still without connection to the national grid, operating fully on reserve generators.

Read more: Monday’s storm reached the strength of a Category 3 hurricane and destroyed the Oslo Christmas Tree

He believes the reason for the severity of the damage caused by the storm was ice build up on the power lines prior to the storm: “The lines would then already have been very heavy when the storm hit. We were unable to see any proof of this icing, because the temperature rose very rapidly, and any icing would then have managed to melt off before the maintenance teams arrived at the scene.”

Kristján Haraldsson, head of the Westfjord power utility, tells the local news site bb that he has never seen comparable damages to the distribution system. He has yet to make a full estimate of the damages, so it is too soon to say if Monday’s storm was the greatest financial catastrophe to the utility.

Read more: Farm in Dýrafjörður, Westfjords, could be without electricity for days after Monday's storm

The Westfjord utility serves the rural and urban areas of the Westfjords, a very sparesely populated area with high deep fjords, high mountains and characterized by frequent storms and avalanches. The total population of the Westfjords is a little less than 7,000 or about 2,14% of the total population of Iceland.

Kristján estimates the financial damages due to the broken pylons is at least 50-100 million ISK (390,000 USD/350,000 EUR -780,000 USD/700,000 EUR ). Large parts of the Westfjords are still without connection to the national grid, operating fully on reserve generators.

Read more: Monday’s storm reached the strength of a Category 3 hurricane and destroyed the Oslo Christmas Tree

He believes the reason for the severity of the damage caused by the storm was ice build up on the power lines prior to the storm: “The lines would then already have been very heavy when the storm hit. We were unable to see any proof of this icing, because the temperature rose very rapidly, and any icing would then have managed to melt off before the maintenance teams arrived at the scene.”