Iceland will show off its volcanic power in a bid to increase trade with the fastest growing major economy as Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visits the island.
Wen, whose two-day visit starts today, will tour Hellisheidi, Iceland's largest geothermal power plant, and meet with President Olafur R. Grimsson and Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir.
"Iceland and the city of Reykjavik, especially, have a story to tell of the country's energy conversion from fossil fuels," Bjarni Bjarnason, chief executive officer of Reykjavik Energy, Iceland's largest utility, said in an e-mailed reply to questions. "In a cold country we don't have to rely on oil, coal or gas to keep us warm."
The volcanic island gets about 25 percent of its power from geothermal sources and the rest from hydropower. Iceland last year started a feasibility study into building a 1,170-kilometer (727-mile) power cable to Scotland to send some of its untapped potential of geothermal and hydropower power to Europe.
