Civil engineering
The Civil engineering department is a part of the Hydropower and transmission division which provides multidisciplinary consulting engineering services. The personnel is highly specialized in most respects regarding the above fields having worked in both design and supervision of such plants in numerous countries worldwide.
The process of harnessing hydropower is commonly divided onto five stages;
- project appraisal
- feasibility study
- project planning
- design for the preparation of contract documents
- final (detail) design
The basis for the different stages of design and the service offered by the department varies from cursory information on the specific site to detailed hydraulic studies, geological and geohydrological mapping. Each stage is concluded with a cost estimate which reflects the inherent degree of accuracy and consequently differs from one stage to the next. It follows that the services rendered in this respect include consultancy of the necessary investigations for each stage of design.
The personnel of the department have commonly been in the forefront of development and changes in the design of hydropower plants. This has resulted in minimizing construction as well as operation risks, coupled with unconditionally seeking the most cost effective solutions.
The department's engineers are specialized in rock and soil mechanics, structural engineering, hydrology, snow avalanche engineering, hydraulics and tide engineering to name but a few disciplines and they work in close cooperation with the various specialists of other Hydropower and transmission departments and Verkís divisions. The department has participated in research and teaching, working closely with various universities and institutions in Iceland.
Department manager is Ægir Jóhansson.