Planning matters related to Straumsvík – recording and data from the meeting

A large crowd attended the meeting.

An information meeting regarding planning matters concerning Straumsvík in Hafnarfjörður was held at Bæjarbíó on Tuesday, 25th April at 8 p.m. There is great interest in the changes and the development planned for Straumsvík in the coming months and years. The meeting was recorded and is now available. Recording of the meeting on the town's Facebook page. The recording will also be made available on The municipality's YouTube channel when she lies down.

Joint press conference – City of Hafnarfjörður and Carbfix/ISAL 

The first part of the meeting was hosted by the City of Hafnarfjörður and concerned planning matters related to Straumsvík, where changes to the 2013-2025 general plan for Hafnarfjörður were considered, regarding the facilities and access to Straumsvík Harbour, as well as traffic planning. changes to the detailed plan for Straumsvík Harbour and the Rio Tinto site at Straumsvík, in accordance with section 41 of Act 123/2010, taking into account new transport links, industrial plots and development rights in the area. Furthermore, the planning changes relating to the proposed operations of Carbfix Ltd. on the Rio Tinto site at Straumsvík were also outlined.

The second part of the meeting was led by Carbfix and ISAL, who presented plans for carbon sequestration in the area. Representatives from Carbfix presented the Coda Terminal project, and representatives from ISAL reviewed the company's stake in the project. Following the presentations, there was time for discussion and questions, with eight representatives from the project and related parties on hand to answer questions.

What is Coda Terminal?

The world's climate goals will not be met without significantly increasing carbon capture and storage. With the Coda Terminal, Carbfix aims to store around 3 million tonnes of CO2 underground annually, where it is converted into rock through a natural process. This is equivalent to more than half of Iceland's annual emissions. The aim is to sequester both the CO2 imported to the country and the CO2 captured from the region's domestic heavy industry. More information about the project

A proposal for an amendment to the master plan was approved on 1 February 2023.

At its meeting on 1 February 2023, the Hafnarfjörður Town Council approved a proposal to amend the 2013-2025 Master Plan for Hafnarfjörður and that the matter be processed in accordance with Article 30 of Act 123/2010. The rationale for the changes is that work is underway to improve the harbour facilities in Straumsvík Harbour, enhance the connections between Straumsvík Harbour and the industrial areas south of the Reykjanesbraut, and generally improve the traffic layout at Kapelluhraun.

An amendment is being made to the boundaries of Straumsvík Harbour (H4), increasing its size from 24 ha to 25.1 ha. The harbour is being expanded to allow for the construction of a new connecting road on the landfill towards the harbour. A new harbour connection is delineated on the plan from the new underpasses under the Reykjanesbraut to the I5 Industrial Area.

New underpasses are being defined under the Reykjanesbraut to connect the area north and south of the road. A new connecting road is being defined between industrial areas I3 and I4. The connecting road links to the northern area via an underpass under the Reykjanesbraut and connects to the roundabout at the Krýsuvíkurveg junction. In parallel, the layout of pedestrian and cycle paths is being altered. The alignment of roads around industrial area I4 is also being changed, with roads being shifted.

The objective of the detailed plan for the industrial area at Kapelluhraun is to establish a framework for an industrial district in accordance with the revised priorities of the Hafnarfjörður Master Plan. The inception of the development plan project can be traced back to a collaboration between the Straumsvík Aluminium Smelter (ÍSAL), which holds a 52-hectare plot in Kapelluhraun (L197313, registered size 52 ha) and Carbfix to establish the Coda Terminal, a receiving and disposal site for carbon dioxide (CO2).

The accompanying documents are relevant to the case.

• Master plan
• Detailed plan for the industrial estate in Kapelluhrauni
• Report – Detailed plan for the industrial area in Kapelluhrauni
• Detailed plan for Rauðamel quarry
• Widening of the Reykjanesbraut – detailed plan amendment – proposal
• Reykjanesbraut Widening – Detailed Plan
• Proposal for a zoning plan amendment for the Straumsvík Aluminium Smelter – land reclamation and new access road 
• Report – proposal for a local planning amendment for the Straumsvík Aluminium Smelter – land reclamation and new access road 
• Proposal for an amendment to the Master Plan of the Municipality of Hafnarfjörður 2013-2025
• Hvaleyri – zoning plan amendment – planning drawing