Abstract
The potential of Greenland hydropower came into focus folIowing the energy crisis in 1973 and the subsequent demand for exploitation of Greenland's own energy resources. Investigations have been made since the mid-1970s on the feasibility of hydropower in Greenland. At first, emphasis was put upon large, or regional, basins that could supply new energy-intensive industries (GTO, 1975). During the 1980s, the emphasis changed to the so-called 'town basins' where hydropower would be developed to supplement the existing energy in selected Greenland towns. The first hydropower plant is under construction at the Kangerluarsunnguaq/Buksefjorden basin south-east of Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, to supply Nuuk with energy (Fig. 1). This hydropower plant is planned to come into operation in autumn 1993.
Highlights
The field area is above Paakitsoq, about 80-120 km east of IlulissatlJakobshavn (Fig. l), where Geological Survey of Greenland (GGU) has measured mass-balance in the ablation area since 1982 (Thomsen et al, 1989)
GGU has been involved in glaciological investigations for planning hydropower in Greenland since the mid-1970s
The work is primarily research related to the exploitation of meltwater from the Greenland ice sheet (Weidick & Thomsen, 1986; Weidick, 1990)
Summary
GGU has been involved in glaciological investigations for planning hydropower in Greenland since the mid-1970s. The work is primarily research related to the exploitation of meltwater from the Greenland ice sheet (Weidick & Thomsen, 1986; Weidick, 1990). It includes mass balance and climate studies (Braithwaite & Olesen, 1985, 1989, 1990; Olesen & Braithwaite, 1989), studies of surface and subglacial drainage for delineation of drainage basins (Thomsen, 1986; Thomsen & Braithwaite, 1987; Thomsen et al, 1989; Thomsen & Olesen, 1991) and development of models for mnoff simulations (Braithwaite, 1980; Braithwaite & Thomsen, 1989). Tapping of ice-dammed lakes has been studied (Clement, 1984; Braithwaite & Thomsen, 1984) and information about glacier fluctuations has been collected (Weidick, 1991) in order to evaluate possibie glacier hazards and the consequences for hydropower plants, e.g. damage to technical installations due to advancing ice margins or changes of proglacial draining caused by change in a glacier's thickness and extent
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