From Ambassador

It is worldly known that even though Iceland is exposed to a harsh natural environment, the country has established its status as a “renewable energy powerhouse” which utilizes the blessings of natural resources, such as abundant waterpower and geothermal power.
 
About 85% of the total primary energy supply in Iceland is derived from geothermal energy and waterpower, and the remaining 15% is from fossil fuels, such as gasoline. One of the Government's main targets is to become fossil fuel-free country in the near future by introducing electric cars and so forth.
 
Since I became the Japanese ambassador to Iceland, I’ve already had several opportunities to visit geothermal power plants in various regions and every time I visit, I’m always impressed how well natural resources are utilized in this country. Hot water and steam extracted from underneath the earth are used for heating, as well as for the generation of electricity. In some places, even wastewater from power plants are used for hot springs and they became quite popular. One example of such hot springs is the Blue lagoon which is also well known in Japan. I’d like to share with you, in another article, how fascinating the Blue lagoon is.
 
I believe that Japan has more or less contributed to the process of Iceland becoming a renewable energy powerhouse. Most turbines and equipments used in the geothermal power plants are made in Japan and the procurement of equipments are partly financed by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, or JBIC.
 
Additionally, as a recent new development, some Japanese companies have started to pay close attention to Iceland’s clean electricity. While society and corporations are required to reduce their environmental impact globally, Iceland today generates 100% of its electricity with renewables, which are hydro and geothermal. Therefore, the carbon-free Icelandic electricity is very attractive for industries and corporations that consume a large amount of electricity.
 
With this new development in mind, the Japanese Embassy will continue to do our best in strengthening both countries’ partnership in the fields of environment, energy, business and so forth.