News

The 26th annual session of the UNU-GTP opened on 3rd May. Eighteen UNU Fellows  participate in the six month specialized courses this year. They come from China 4, Ethiopia 2, Eritrea 2, Indonesia 3, Iran 2, Mongolia 2, Kenya 2, and Russia 1. They will specialize in the following lines of training: Environmental Studies (5), Geothermal Utilization (4), Reservoir Engineering (4), Chemistry of Thermal Fluids (3), and Geological Exploration (2).

The year 2003 marks the 25th anniversary of the United Nations University Geothermal Training Programme (UNU-GTP), as the agreement on its establishment was made between the UNU and the Government of Iceland in 1978.  The first two UNU Fellows came to Iceland in 1979, and since then the 6 month courses have been held every year.

The closing ceremony of the 25th year of the United Nations University Geothermal Training Programme was held on October 17, 2003. Twenty UNU Fellows from 12 countries received their UNU Certificates after completing the traditional 6 month specialized courses. They came from China (3), Costa Rica (1), El Salvador (1), Ethiopia (1), Guatemala (1), Iran (3), Kenya (2), Mongolia (2), Poland (2), Philippines (2), Russia (1), and Turkey (1).

The UNU-GTP was very pleased to arrange a visit of a delegation from Shandong Provincial Bureau  of Geology and Mineral Resources in China to Iceland 3-7 November. The delegation was headed by Mr. Liu Zhan, Director General of the Bureau. He was accompanied by Mr. Liang Guizhi, Deputy Director, and Mr. Kang Fengxin, reservoir engineer. Shandong Province (with 90 million inhabitants) is richly endowed with low- to medium-temperature geothermal resources (40-110 °C), but as yet the utilization is limited. The Bureau is planning a demonstration project in Qihe district to use as a showcase to promote the use of geothermal energy.