Iceland is preparing to take a giant step in energy matters. For more than ten years, the company Krafla Magma Testbed (KMT) has been investigating the island's soil to carry out a project that aims to transform magma into an unlimited source of clean energy. To this end, plans are being made to open a molten rock observatory to take advantage of the immense geothermal energy generated by volcanic magma.
The initiative, led by a group of Icelandic scientists and engineers, aims to dig a tunnel into a magma chamber near the Krafla volcano. This region, located in the northwest of Iceland, is known for its volcanic activity and has been strategically selected for the project.
The magma chamber identified by KMT is located near the island's main volcano and will be drilled to a depth of two kilometers. The temperature emanating from the ducts is expected to reach one thousand degrees Celsius. After a decade of preliminary studies, the team plans to begin drilling in 2026, with an expected duration of two months. Subsequently, the content and its environment will be analyzed to evaluate the viability of the project.
If all goes as planned, the first magma research center will be operational in 2027. The KMT company says that this innovative initiative will not only improve the understanding of magma to prevent volcanic disasters, but will also explore ways to capture geothermal energy in a way more efficient.
“Experiments at the rock-magma boundary will greatly improve our knowledge about the roots of geothermal systems, leading to new discoveries about the potential extraction of energy directly from magma. Together with cutting-edge drilling technology, this will dramatically change the economics of geothermal energy and improve energy security,” KMT notes on its website.
Krafla, located in northeast Iceland, stands out as a prominent geothermal system with a 10 km diameter volcanic caldera and an extensive 90 km fissure network. This site, the cradle of Iceland's geothermal energy, is home to a body of magma identified 2.1 km deep. Its relevance intensified in 2009 when, during the Iceland Deep Drilling Project, a well (IDDP-1) was accidentally drilled that crossed the magma layer.
Over decades, Krafla has been essential to geothermal research, operating more than 40 boreholes and serving as the location of Iceland's first geothermal power plant. This discovery has made it a natural laboratory, challenging perceptions about safe drilling to magma and contributing significantly to scientific and energy progress in the region.
Magma-based energy poses challenges such as the lack of reliable detectors of molten rock deposits and inherent risks, such as the high probability of earthquakes, eruptions and toxic gas emissions. Furthermore, geothermal faces obstacles such as the availability of appropriate heat sources and high operating costs.
The KMT project also has goals beyond energy, as it seeks to revolutionize volcano monitoring and provide pioneering data on volcanic activity. Those responsible for the project believe that this new energy source could have global applications, and they plan to share their knowledge with other regions prone to geothermal activity.
This project, which began in 2014, plans to start the first drilling in 2026 (KTM-I) and the second in 2028 (KTM-II). They estimate to have the research center completed in 2030.
