GRÓ GTP Site visits to collaboration countries
Site visits are one of the important activities of GTP. They are used to build and strengthen the connections with the current and future collaborative institutes and companies in partner countries. Further more to introduce the geothermal resource and the near endless possibilities its utilisation has to offer to high-level decision makers and to present the opportunities of the GRÓ Geothermal Training Programme to the capacity building and strengthening of institutes and companies. Last but by far not least, to conduct candidate interviews for potential fellows in person, because the selection of the fellows is the foundation of the GTP and the basis for a successful knowledge transfer. Due to the pandemic restrictions in 2020 and 2021, site visits were naturally not possible either during the last couple of years. Therefore, it was due time to make a few visits this year. The staff of GTP recently made site visits to Indonesia, Mongolia, and South America.
Indonesia:
Following the World Geothermal Congress 2023 in Beijing, GRÓ GTP Deputy Director Ingimar G. Haraldsson visited Indonesia to meet with partners and interview candidates for studies in Iceland. The 4 day visit, undertaken during 19-22 September, included meetings in Jakarta at Pertamina Geothermal Energy (PGE), Geo Dipa Energi, the State Electricity Company (PLN), and Directorate General of New, Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation (EBTKE), as well as a meeting in Bandung with representatives of the Centre for Minerals, Coal and Geothermal Resources operated under the Geological Agency. The visit also included a short drop-in at the 9th Indonesia International Geothermal Convention & Exhibition (IIGCE).
The Embassy of Iceland to Indonesia organized a reunion of GRÓ alumni on behalf of GRÓ on 21 September. The reunion was attended by a number of former GRÓ fellows, mostly from GTP but also FTP, as well as several Icelanders who took part in the IIGCE, the Ambassador and Deputy Head of Mission of Iceland to Indonesia, and GRÓ GTP Deputy Director.
The site visit was helpful in maintaining and establishing dialogue with partner entities in Indonesia, to gauge interest and needs for geothermal training and meet candidates for studies in Iceland. For further details and photos from the site visit the GRÓ GTP Facebook site.
Mongolia:
Similarly, GRÓ GTP Project Manager Málfríður Ómarsdóttir (Fríða) went on a site visit to Mongolia following the World Geothermal Congress 2023 in Beijing. It is customary at GTP to use the opportunity of short course or conference trips to conduct site visits to neighbouring countries to save on time and impact on the environment. Mongolia is a large country but most of the population lives in the city of Ulaanbaatar, one of the most polluted cities in the world due to the cold hard winters and heavy dependence on fossil fuels. Switching to renewable energy sources such as geothermal would greatly improve the living conditions for its inhabitants. Prior to the visit, a meeting on geothermal development cooperation between Iceland and Mongolia was held at WGC2023 with representatives of Arctic Green Energy, Mannvit, Landsvirkjun, Iceland Drilling, ÍSOR, Green by Iceland, National Energy Center of Mongolia, Ministry of energy of Mongolia, Astronomy and Geophysics Institute, National Energy Center of Mongolia, and GRÓ GTP. In the meeting there were discussions on how Mongolia can use Iceland as a role model for geothermal development of low temperature areas and how the two countries have cooperated in the past and what potential there are now for future cooperation. Hopefully this will be the start of a successful and fruitful geothermal partnership.
During the site visit in Mongolia, the National Energy Center LLC /NEC was visited and they presented their policy and plans for geothermal development. The director of NEC invited potential candidates for a meeting and then interviews were conducted for the selection of the training in Iceland. The Institute of Geophysics and Astronomy was visited the following day and a very informative meeting was held with the director of the institute Sodnomsambuu Demberel who presented their current projects and interest in geothermal development. More candidates were interviewed for the training in Iceland.
A visit to the nearby geothermal areas was made under the trusted guidance of Purevsuren Dorj a former fellow from 2001 and a MSc fellow from 2003. Some balneology using geothermal water exists outside of the city for locals and tourists and there is definitely potential to increase the geothermal utilisation in the country. GTP will do its part in supporting the geothermal development of Mongolia and two new fellows joined the training in Iceland this summer as a result of this site visit with hopefully many more to come. For further details and photos from the site visit the GRÓ GTP Facebook site.
South America:
There is a lot of renewed enthusiasm for geothermal development in Central and South America that has been going on in recent years. Many of the countries have a good potential to utilise the resource for the benefit of the people. In conjunction with the SDG Short Course in El Salvador in January, GRÓ GTP Project Manager Málfríður Ómarsdóttir (Fríða) made a site visit to Colombia and Peru where she visited a number of geothermal institutes and companies.
In Colombia, there is a significant interest in the geothermal resource and ongoing and new development plans are being discussed. As this concept is still relatively new in the country, there is a high demand for capacity building within the sector. Three Colombians were selected this year undergo training in Environmental Science and Project Management and Finances. Their increased expertise will undoubtedly contribute to future geothermal projects in the country. During the visit, numerous candidates were interviewed who hopefully will have a chance to participate in the training in the coming years.
In Peru, the need for energy and district heating in the mountainous regions is dire. The country is actively seeking alternative energy sources to add to the grid as well as provide clean cooking facilities and heat to the cold and remote Andean communities. This visit revealed that there are numerous institutes and universities dedicated to researching sustainable energy alternatives, including geothermal solutions. As a result, many potential candidates were interviewed for the training in coming years. Notably, one Peruvian was invited to participate in the training this time, with the expectation that many more will follow. For further details and photos from the site visit the GRÓ GTP Facebook site.
The visit to South America was highly successful in achieving its intended goals. It facilitated valuable connections with new entities within the geothermal sector and effectively introduced geothermal resources as a viable option as a renewable and sustainable source in the fight against climate change. Numerous candidates have been added to the capacity-building database for future training.
Although site visits to Ecuador and Bolivia were initially planned, they were postponed due to unforeseen circumstances. However, we remain optimistic that they will soon be back on the agenda.