Mondays in Iceland - #83

Aluminum



Any visitor to Iceland will be familiar with the enormous aluminum smelting plant that runs parallel to the highway between Keflavík and Reykjavík.



Part of the an industrial trend that has helped modernize the country, the cheap electricity from geothermal and hydroelectric plants makes it practical to ship aluminum ores halfway around the world to be smelted into ingots. A downturn in the markets can wreak havoc with the profitability of the industry.  A recent trend of making vehicle bodies from aluminum instead of steel may temper the volatility of that market.


Seeing it approach as I return to the airport on the FlyBus it has become, to me at least, a symbol of farewell.