Consultation Group
The consultation group between Landsvirkjun and Alcoa on sustainable development in East Iceland was established in early summer 2004. The group aimed to formulate a framework that could assess the impact of the Fjarðaál smelter and Kárahnjúkar power plant on the concepts of sustainable development.
The role of the group was:
- To identify the issues that each in the group considered important to monitor in the future.
- Developing indicators.
- To find possible measurements to measure the impact of the companies operations on sustainable development in East Iceland.
Composition of the group:
Representatives of Landsvirkjun and Alcoa compiled a list of institutions, associations, and companies invited to appoint representatives to the group. The group was composed of representatives of various parties who had interests in the area of influence of the power plant and smelter and experts in economic, social, and environmental issues. The group met four times, in addition to which participants worked between meetings with their partners (NGOs, companies, or institutions) on proposals and reviewed data. The table below shows a list of participants in the consultation group and information on which institutions, companies, or associations they represent.
Benefits of participation:
The organizations that took part in the project saw an advantage in it, e.g., for the following reasons:
- To present ideas and comments.
- To have access to information about the projects, their effects, and their consequences.
- To have the opportunity to monitor the progress of the projects.
- To have the opportunity to express concerns and formulate indicators that concern them.
- A unique opportunity to participate in an Icelandic project on sustainable development that is internationally interesting.
- To get acquainted with work that aligns with the Icelandic government's policy and international ideology on sustainable development.
List of participants in the consultation group:
| Name | Institution, company, or association |
|---|---|
| Andrés Svanbjörnsson | Iðnaðarráðuneytið |
| Anita Roper | Alcoa |
| Anna Heiða Pálsdóttir | Alcoa Fjarðaál |
| Arngrímur Viðar Ásgeirsson | Ungmenna- og íþróttasamband Austurlands (ÚÍA) |
| Assheton Stewart Carter | Conservation International / Center for Environmental Leadership in Business |
| Auður Anna Ingólfsdóttir | Samtök ferðaþjónustunnar |
| Björgólfur Thorsteinsson | Landvernd |
| Craig Bridge | Bechtel |
| Davíð Baldursson | Þjóðkirkjan - áhrifasvæði álvers |
| Einar Rafn Haraldsson | Heilbrigðisstofnun Austurlands |
| Grétar Þór Eyþórsson | Háskólinn á Akureyri |
| Guðmundur A. Guðmundsson | Náttúrufræðistofnun Íslands |
| Gunnþórunn Ingólfsdóttir | Fljótsdalshreppur |
| Halla Eiríksdóttir | Náttúruverndarsamtök Austurlands (NAUST) |
| Hildur B. Hrólfsdóttir | Landsvirkjun |
| Hrönn Pétursdóttir | Alcoa Fjarðaál |
| Hugi Ólafsson | Umhverfisráðuneytið |
| Inger L. Jónsdóttir | Sýslumannsembættið í Fjarðabyggð |
| Jón Ingi Kristjánsson | AFL |
| Kristín Ágústsdóttir | Náttúrustofa Austurlands |
| Lára G. Oddsdóttir | Þjóðkirkjan - áhrifasvæði virkjunar |
| Eiríkur Björn Björgvinsson | Fljótsdalshérað (Egilsstaðir) |
| Patrick Grover | Alcoa |
| Pálína Guðmundsdóttir | Verkmenntaskóli Austurlands |
| Jón Þór Sturluson | Háskóli Íslands |
| Pétur Ingólfsson | Landsvirkjun |
| Ragnheiður Ólafsdóttir | Landsvirkjun |
| Róbert Ragnarsson | Félagsmálaráðuneytið |
| Signý Ormarsdóttir | Menningarráð Austurlands |
| Sigurður Ólafsson | Þekkingarnet Austurlands |
| Sigurður St. Arnalds | Landsvirkjun |
| Smári Geirsson | Fjarðabyggð |
| Stefán Stefánsson | Þróunarstofa Austurlands |
| Tómas Már Sigurðsson | Alcoa Fjarðaál |
| Þorvaldur Jóhannsson | SSA |