Reykjavik – City of Peace

We had the opportunity to attend the yearly lighting ceremony of the Imagine Peace Tower located on Viðey Island just across Reykjavik’s harbor. The tower was built and inaugurated in 2007 in memory of John Lennon and his peace anthem “Imagine.” The tower is lit from October 9 until December 8—the dates of John Lennon’s birth and death. The ceremony captures Reykjavik’s tradition as a city fiercely committed to peace in the world as thousands of its citizens make the yearly pilgrimage to the ceremony.

The U.S. and Iceland partner to bring geothermal energy to Africa

Photo: Reykjavík Geothermal

We were delighted to learn that the U.S.-Icelandic company Reykjavik Geothermal has sealed a deal to build the Corbetti Geothermal Plant in Ethiopia. The Corbetti geothermal plant will be a 1,000 MW plant to be built in two stages. When completed it is expected to be the largest geothermal facility in all of Africa, and represents an investment of $4 billion over an 8-10 year construction period. We are very proud to note this excellent example of what American-Icelandic partnerships in both the private sector and in government can accomplish in bringing economic development to Africa. The United States Agency for International Development and other U.S. government agencies played a critical role in putting this complex project together. We look forward to watching the development of this exciting
new venture in Ethiopia.

Northern Challenge tests international EOD cooperation

We joined a group of colleagues on a visit to Keflavík where the defense forces from the United States, Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, France, and Austria joined the Icelandic Coast Guard to test their skills and operations in explosive ordinance disposal (EOD). The exercise, organized by the Icelandic Coast Guard, gives participants an opportunity to practice responses to real life scenarios involving bomb threats.

Visit to the Sýslumaður in Selfoss

We had the pleasure of paying a visit to Ólafur Helgi Kjartansson, the District Commissioner (Sýslumaður) with the seat in Selfoss (South Iceland). This is a very important position in the Icelandic legal system as the incumbent has a broad range of civilian and law enforcement areas. Our Embassy deals with this office mostly on consular affairs. We are grateful for the support this office provides to American citizens.

Réttir at Jökulgil and then some

This weekend I had the privilege of joining an extraordinary group of Icelanders to participate in the annual sheep roundup at Jökulgil--a spectacular valley of color and unique rock formations. The Icelandic independent and hardy spirit is alive and well with this tradition.  We also took the opportunity to drive up Rauðufossafjöll for unforgettable views of Iceland's mighty glaciers and an up close look at Hekla in the splendor of a very clear day.

Iceland and 40 other nations in communications exercise

I had the pleasure of meeting with an Icelandic/American communications team participating in Combined Endeavor--an annual communications interoperability exercise involving 41 nations sponsored by the U.S. European Command (EUCOM). This year, Iceland hosted a forward communications site at the Keflavik Air Base for the first time.  This is a valuable exercise for Iceland because it is testing the ability of the country to communicate vital information with allies and partners under challenging circumstances such as natural disasters.

Building the Largest Artwork in the World

We had the pleasure of meeting Ingvar Björn Þorsteinsson, a creative Icelandic artist that wants to put together the World's Largest Artwork.  He devised an app using social media to ask people to contribute a brush stroke. The project will last for 66 days in celebration of the 66th anniversary of UNICEF. At the end of the project, the art piece will be auctioned with proceeds going to UNICEF. The current record for participatory art is 201,948 artists, and Ingvar Björn wants to break it for a great cause.