History
The History of Krafla Magma Testbed (KMT)
The Krafla Magma Testbed (KMT) traces its origins back to 2009 when the Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP), a consortium of Icelandic geothermal companies, drilled the IDDP-1 well in the Krafla Caldera. The primary objective of IDDP-1 was to explore and extract high enthalpy fluids—fluids with temperatures and pressures above the critical point of water (374°C and 22.1 MPa). Such fluids have significantly higher energy potential, being three times more efficient in converting thermal energy to electricity compared to conventional geothermal sources.Â
IDDP-1
IDDP-1 aimed for a target depth of 4.5 km but unexpectedly intersected a magma chamber at just 2.1 km, forcing the drilling to stop. Prior geophysical surveys had suggested magma accumulation at a depth of 4–5 km, making this discovery a surprise. Despite this abrupt halt, the well was successfully flow-tested and delivered a remarkable thermal power output of over 100 MWth for a period of ten months.
For comparison, the Krafla Power Plant, owned and operated by Landsvirkjun, generates 60 MWe from its 22 wells. While the IDDP-1 well did not reach the target depth and pressure, the discovery of such high specific enthalpy fluids marked a significant achievement. The project, however, shifted focus to its next candidate site for further exploration.
Formation of the Krafla Magma Testbed Vision
In 2013, during a meeting of the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) in Potsdam, Germany, the idea of using IDDP-1 as a dedicated magma science well emerged. The notion of establishing a magma drilling project gained momentum, and a group of international scientists coalesced around the idea. This nascent initiative was initially referred to as the Krafla Magma Drilling Project (KMDP), envisioning a bold new way to investigate magma.Â