of the Kelduá Dam and Ufsarstífla Dam began and in September, the Hálslón Reservoir began to fill. In mid-2008, the Kelduá and Ufsarstífla Dams were complete and the Ufsarlón Reservoir headrace tunnel was ready. Construction on the headrace tunnels was done by three full-face tunnel boring machines, while remaining areas were drilled and blasted. This was the first time that tunnel boring machines were used in Iceland. The project was documented in a MegaStructures program of the National Geographic Channel, and the Discovery Channel's Extreme Engineering, along with mention in the Sigur Rós 2006 documentary Heima (At Home), where the band played at a protest against the building of the dam. There were several workplace fatalities during the construction process including: Arni Thor Bjarnason, Eilifur Gopi Hammond, Ludvik Alfred Halldorsson and Kresimir Durinic. Criticism The dams have been the frequent subject of protests by environmentalists for many reasons. The area is within the second largest (formerly) unspoiled wilderness in Europe and covers about in total and the rivers that supply water to the project are part of Europe's largest glacier, Vatnajökull. The project as a whole has also been criticised heavily in the book Draumalandið and subsequent 2009 documentary Dreamland. About 70% of the workforce was composed of foreign workers. For the construction of Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant in East Iceland, five dams in two glacial rivers created three reservoirs, that together flooded over 440,000 acres of unspoilt Highland territory. The megastructure is on a scale like nothing the nation has seen before or since and, as such, has been a constant source of protest and controversy due to the landscapes irretrievably lost. The total affected area according to the environmental impact assessment, outlines that a total of 3,000 km2 or 741,316 acres were affected by the project's construction. That is approximately 3% of Iceland's total land mass. See also Economy of Iceland Renewable energy in Iceland Hydroelectricity in Iceland References External links Kárahnjúkar HEP Overview – Landsvirkjun – September 2009 Anti-dam website Kárahnjúkar – 2005 – picture gallery from islandsmyndir.is Kárahnjúkar – 2006 – picture gallery from islandsmyndir.is Kárahnjúkar – 2007 A – picture gallery from islandsmyndir.is Kárahnjúkar – 2007 B – picture gallery from islandsmyndir.is Kárahnjúkar – 2008 – picture gallery from islandsmyndir.is Kárahnjúkar – Hringiða, 2011 – picture gallery from islandsmyndir.is Kárahnjúkar – Dams, 2011 – picture gallery from islandsmyndir.is Energy infrastructure completed in 2009 Hydroelectric power stations