ARGeo-C7 Short Courses in Rwanda
UNU-GTP organized two short courses held in conjunction with the recent 7th African Rift Geothermal Conference (ARGeo-C7): Short Course I on Management and Financing for Geothermal Project Development and Short Course II on Low-Temperature Geothermal Systems and Direct Use Applications. The courses, as requested by the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs – ICEIDA and the ARGeo-C7 Organizing Committee, were among four pre-conference short courses held under the auspices of the Interim Coordination Unit of the African Geothermal Center of Excellence (IPCU-AGCE) at the Kigali Convention Center in Rwanda during October 29-30.
Short Course I on Management and Financing for Geothermal Project Development was a condensed version of short courses on project management held by UNU-GTP in Africa in recent years and similar in scope to the ARGeo-C6 pre-conference short course, with added material on feasibility and financing. The objective of the course was to introduce participants to concepts that project managers should master in order to make the most of their geothermal development projects. The participants were thus introduced to general aspects of project management, specific aspects of the management of geothermal projects, key concepts of the IPMA Competence Baseline (ICB), stakeholders, constraints, cost, time considerations, procurement, contract management, project feasibility, financing and more. Specific attention was given to project management during the drilling stage of geothermal projects. The short course was attended by 25 participants from Burundi (2), Comoros (1), Democratic Republic of the Congo (1), Djibouti (1), Ethiopia (2), Kenya (9), Malawi (1), Mozambique (1), Rwanda (3), Tanzania (2), and Uganda (1), as well as China (1). Lecturing was in the hands of Eng. Yngvi Gudmundsson of HS Orka, Eng. Snaebjörn Jónsson of Verkís, Mr. Peketsa Mangi of Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC (KenGen), and Eng. Anthony Ng‘ang‘a Ngigi of Geothermal Development Company Ltd. (GDC).
Short course II on Low-Temperature Geothermal Systems and Direct Use Applications had the objective of introducing participants to exploration and utilization possibilities of low to medium temperature geothermal resources in East Africa. The participants were introduced to characteristics and exploration of low-temperature geothermal resources, greenhouse heating, swimming pools and spas, aquaculture, eletricity production using binary power plants, cascaded use, opportunities for food processing, GDC‘s direct use development center in Menengai and KenGen‘s Olkaria geothermal spa in Kenya. The short course responded to a growing emphasis on direct utilization of low to medium temperature geothermal resources as found in many parts of the East African Rift System. The course was attended by 24 participants from Burundi (1), Comoros (1), DRC (1), Djibouti (1), Ethiopia (2), Kenya (7), Malawi (1), Mozambique (1), Rwanda (5), Tanzania (1), and Uganda (2), as well as Germany (1). Lecturing was carried out by Dir. Lúdvík S. Georgsson of UNU-GTP, Dr. Árni Ragnarsson of ÍSOR – Iceland GeoSurvey, Mr. Margeir Gissurarson of Matís, Eng. Martha Mburu of GDC and Mr. Peketsa Mangi of KenGen.
Both courses were financed by the Directorate for International Development Cooperation of the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs – ICEIDA.
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| Dir. Lúdvík S. Georgsson lecturing at Short Course II on Low-Temperature Geothermal Systems and Direct Use Applications (Photo: ARGeo) |