Sydney photographer starts involvement with “Saving Iceland” campaign

Oct. 31, 2012 - PRLog -- Conservationists call it Europe’s worst environmental disaster that will bring irreparable damage for hundreds or even thousands of years to come.

Today, more than three years after the Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant (in eastern Iceland) was completed, the “Saving Iceland” campaign is still boiling as hot as the volcanic area where the power plant sits.

Despite years of protests from local (Icelandic) and international environmental groups, the Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant was completed and made operational in 2009 when the Iceland government committed to the project with aluminium giant Alcoa in 2002.

The area is within the second largest (formerly) unspoiled wilderness in Europe and covers about 1000 km2 in total and the rivers that supply water to the project are part of Europe's largest glacier, the Vatnajökull (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatnaj%C3%B6kull).

The controversial hydropower plant is being used to provide power to Alcoa’s smelter plant which produces 940 tons of aluminium a day, with capacity of 346,000 metric tons of aluminium per year.

In his recent trip to Iceland, Sydney aerial and landscape photographer Peter Damo has captured some stunning and dramatic images of some areas that could potentially be affected by the hydropower plant and aluminium smelter in the east of Iceland.

He met some of the high profile protesters including Omar Ragnarsson, one of Iceland’s journalists and environmentalists who have spent a considerable amount of his own wealth to oppose the hydropower plant.

“I spoke to Omar just a week ago and he said at the moment there are about 67 projects in front of the Iceland Parliament waiting for approval. About 30 others have already been implemented, so you can just imagine that “Saving Iceland” campaign is very much alive and I believe it will be ongoing for a while,” Mr Damo said.

He added that the protesters have very solid documentation to back their case against the hydropower plant and any additional smelters in the glacier and volcanic regions.

“I had an amazing time and experience documenting some of Iceland’s volcanic and glacier areas. It’s quite interesting that one of the places where I stayed (during my tour) in Eastern Iceland was the house of a smelter plant worker.

I didn’t realise the significance of it at that time, but after seeing some of most amazing glacier and volcanic structures there, I can see how the people in Iceland would like to protect those areas from mining activities,” Mr Damo said.

Mr Damo is now preparing for an exhibition of his aerial and landscape photographs from Iceland.