Iceland’s Svartsengi Power Plant is having protective walls built in preparation for a possible lava flow caused by the expected volcanic eruption.
The power plant is an important player in Icelandic society, supplying electricity and hot water to about 30,000 people. The protective walls are a preventive measure, with workers on the construction site 24 hours a day.
“To fortify the entire plant would take about 30 days,” explained Jón Thór Viglundsson, a spokesman for Iceland’s Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management.
Viglundsson also stated that the Svartsengi Power Plant is a “massive infrastructure that we need to protect at all cost.”
Iceland’s Met Office continues to warn the public of a “significant likelihood of a volcanic eruption in the coming days.”