The current Master Plan
Parliamentary resolution on the Plan for Nature Protection and Energy Utilisation.
According to the Master Plan Act, every phase of the Master Plan concludes with the expert committee submitting its recommendations for categorization of power options to the Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources. The minister presents those as a proposal for a parliamentary resolution to the Icelandic Parliament in collaboration with the Minister for Industries and Innovation. Once Parliament has passed the proposal, the parliamentary resolution on the categorization of power options becomes legally binding.
A proposal for a parliamentary resolution on the categorization of the power options evaluated in the third phase of the Master Plan was presented to the Icelandic Parliament in fall 2016 and again in spring 2017 . Neither of those proposals was fully processed by the Parliament and thus never came up for a vote. The parliamentary session of fall 2017 was too short to allow for the re-introduction of the proposal. In effect, this means that the recommendations of the steering committee of the third phase are not yet reflected in the current Master Plan.
On 14 January 2013 the Alþingi passed a proposal for a parliamentary resolution on a Plan for nature protection and energy utilisation. Thereby the Master Plan came fully into force for the first time. This parliamentary resolution marked the completion of the 2nd phase of the Master Plan which had been intermittently in effect since 2003.
The parliamentary resolution puts the power plant options into the following categories: Energy utilisation category, on hold category and protection category (see here for definitions).
The classification of power plant options in the 2nd phase of the Master Plan is as follows:
Energy utilisation category
| Type of energy | Region | Catchment / geothermal area | # in 2nd phase | Power plant option |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydropower | Westfjords | Ófeigsfjörður | 4 | Hvalárvirkjun |
| Hydropower | North Iceland | Blanda | 5 | Blönduveita |
| Geothermal | Reykjanes Peninsula | Reykjanes area | 61 | Reykjanes |
| Geothermal | Reykjanes Peninsula | Reykjanes area | 62 | Stóra-Sandvík |
| Geothermal |
Reykjanes Peninsula | Svartsengi area | 63 | Eldvörp |
| Geothermal | Reykjanes Peninsula | Krýsuvík area | 64 | Sandfell |
| Geothermal | Reykjanes Peninsula | Krýsuvík area | 66 | Sveifluháls |
| Geothermal | Reykjanes Peninsula | Hengill area | 69 | Meitillinn |
| Geothermal | Reykjanes Peninsula | Hengill area | 70 | Gráuhnúkar |
| Geothermal | Reykjanes Peninsula | Hengill area | 71 | Hverahlíð |
| Geothermal | North East Iceland | Námafjall area | 97 | Bjarnarflag |
| Geothermal | North East Iceland | Krafla region | 98 | Krafla I, expansion |
| Geothermal | North East Iceland | Krafla region | 99 | Krafla II, 1. phase |
| Geothermal | North East Iceland | Krafla region | 103 | Krafla II, 2. phase |
| Geothermal | North East Iceland | Þeistareykir area | 102 | Þeistareykir |
| Geothermal | North East Iceland | Þeistareykir area | 101 | Þeistareykir west |
Hydropower: 2 power plant options
Geothermal: 14 power plant options
On hold category
| Type of energy | Region | Catchment / geothermal area | # in 2nd phase | Power plant option |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydropower | West Iceland | Hvítá í Borgarfirði | 1 | Kljáfossvirkjun |
| Hydropower | Westfjords | Hestfjörður | 2 | Glámuvirkjun |
| Hydropower | Westfjords | Þverá, Langadalsströnd | 3 | Skúfnavatnavirkjun |
| Hydropower | North Iceland | Glacial rivers of Skagafjörður | 6 | Skatastaðavirkjun B |
| Hydropower | North Iceland | Glacial rivers of Skagafjörður | 7 | Skatastaðavirkjun C |
| Hydropower | North Iceland | Glacial rivers of Skagafjörður | 8 | Villinganesvirkjun |
| Hydropower | North East Iceland | Skjálfandafljót | 9 | Fljótshnjúksvirkjun |
| Hydropower | North East Iceland | Skjálfandafljót | 10 | Hrafnabjargavirkjun A |
| Hydropower | South Iceland | Þjórsá | 31 | Urriðafossvirkjun |
| Hydropower | South Iceland | Þjórsá | 29 | Hvammsvirkjun |
| Hydropower | South Iceland | Þjórsá | 30 | Holtavirkjun |
| Hydropower | South Iceland | Hverfisfljót | 15 | Hverfisfljótsvirkjun |
| Hydropower | South Iceland | Skaftá | 40 | Búlandsvirkjun |
| Hydropower | South Iceland | Hólmsá | 19 | Hólmsárvirkjun at Einhyrningur, without reservoir |
| Hydropower | South Iceland | Hólmsá | 21 | Hólmsárvirkjun at Atley |
| Hydropower | South Iceland | Kaldakvísl | 26 | Skrokkölduvirkjun |
| Hydropower | South Iceland | Farið at Lake Hagavatn | 39 | Hagavatnsvirkjun |
| Hydropower | South Iceland | Hvítá í Árnessýslu | 34 | Búðartunguvirkjun |
| Hydropower | South Iceland | Hvítá í Árnessýslu | 35 | Haukholtsvirkjun |
| Hydropower | South Iceland | Hvítá í Árnessýslu | 36 | Vörðufellsvirkjun |
| Hydropower | South Iceland | Hvítá í Árnessýslu | 37 | Hestvatnsvirkjun |
| Hydropower | South Iceland | Ölfusá | 38 | Selfossvirkjun |
| Geothermal | Reykjanes Peninsula | Krýsuvík area | 65 | Trölladyngja |
| Geothermal | Reykjanes Peninsula | Krýsuvík area | 67 | Austurengjar |
| Geothermal | Reykjanes Peninsula | Hengill area | 73 | Innstidalur |
| Geothermal | Reykjanes Peninsula | Hengill area | 75 | Þverárdalur |
| Geothermal | Reykjanes Peninsula | Hengill area | 76 | Ölfusdalur |
| Geothermal | South Iceland | Hágöngur area | 91 | Hágönguvirkjun, 1. phase |
| Geothermal | South Iceland | Hágöngur area | 104 | Hágönguvirkjun, 2. phase |
| Geothermal | North East Iceland | Hrúthálsar area | 95 | Hrúthálsar |
| Geothermal | North East Iceland | Fremrinámar area | 96 | Fremrinámar |
Hydropower: 22 power plant options
Geothermal: 9 power plant options
Protection category
| Type of energy | Region | Catchment / geothermal area | # in 2nd phase | Power plant option |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydropower | North East Iceland | Jökulsá á Fjöllum | 12 | Arnardalsvirkjun |
| Hydropower | North East Iceland | Jökulsá á Fjöllum | 13 | Helmingsvirkjun |
| Hydropower | South Iceland | Djúpá, Fljótshverfi | 14 | Djúpárvirkjun |
| Hydropower | South Iceland | Hólmsá | 20 | Hólmsárvirkjun at Einhyrningur, with reservoir |
| Hydropower | South Iceland | Markarfljót | 22 | Markarfljótsvirkjun A |
| Hydropower | South Iceland | Markarfljót |
23 | Markarfljótsvirkjun B |
| Hydropower | South Iceland | Tungnaá | 24 | Tungnaárlón |
| Hydropower | South Iceland | Tungnaá | 25 | Bjallavirkjun |
| Hydropower | South Iceland | Þjórsá | 27 | Norðlingaölduveita, 566-567.5 m a.s.l. |
| Hydropower | South Iceland | Jökulfall í Árnessýslu | 32 | Gýgjarfossvirkjun |
| Hydropower | South Iceland | Hvítá í Árnessýslu | 33 | Bláfellsvirkjun |
| Geothermal | Reykjanes Peninsula | Brennisteinsfjöll area | 68 | Brennisteinsfjöll |
| Geothermal | Reykjanes Peninsula | Hengill area | 74 | Bitra |
| Geothermal | Reykjanes Peninsula | Hengill area | 77 | Grændalur |
| Geothermal | South Iceland | Geysir area | 78 | Geysir |
| Geothermal | South Iceland | Kerlingarfjöll region | 79 | Hverabotn |
| Geothermal | South Iceland | Kerlingarfjöll region | 80 | Neðri-Hveradalir |
| Geothermal | South Iceland | Kerlingarfjöll region | 81 | Kisubotnar |
| Geothermal | South Iceland | Kerlingarfjöll region | 82 | Þverfell |
| Geothermal | North East Iceland | Gjástykki area | 100 | Gjástykki |
Hydropower: 11 power plant options
Geothermal: 9 power plant options
On 1 July 2015, Alþingi passed a proposal for a parliamentary resolution to transfer power plant option Hvammsvirkjun from the on hold-category to utilisation category.