GRÓ GTP training in Shanxi Province, China
In April this year, the Governor of Shanxi Province, visited Iceland along with representatives of Shanxi Provincial Geological Prospecting Bureau. During the visit a cooperation agreement on training was signed with GRÓ GTP. The result was a two-course training held in Shanxi Province, China during November 18-23 and November 25-27.
The training was organized cooperatively by GRÓ GTP and China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), which took on the role of local implementing entity on behalf of Shanxi Provincial Geological Prospecting Bureau. The first of the two consecutive short courses focused on exploration, evaluation and management of geothermal resources, while the second was devoted to utilization of geothermal resources. The courses were held at the Wutong Building in Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi Province, and were attended by a total of 161 participants from institutions contributing to geothermal development in Shanxi, roughly evenly split between the two courses. Instruction was in the hands of Icelandic experts who travel to site, with additional major contributions from remote lecturers. These included Chinese GRÓ GTP alumni working for various institutions and companies in China, Professors of China University of Geosciences, and GRÓ GTP and ÍSOR staff. Chinese lecturers presented in Chinese, while lectures in English were translated simultaneously to Chinese.
This training exemplifies ideal cooperation between China and Iceland where experts from both countries share their significant expertise, accumulated through years of academic studies, research, and experience working with geothermal resources in the two countries. These are different in many ways, but also share some common attributes. While China‘s geothermal resources are characteristically sedimentary in nature, Iceland‘s are predominantly volcanic, but both contain plenty of energy-rich water with the important potential to impact human lives for the better. A great example of this is space heating that is an important form of geothermal utilization in both countries and which has improved the living standards for many people. This collaboration underscores the shared commitment of China and Iceland to harness geothermal energy for sustainable development and mitigating the effects of climate change.
We hope that the geothermal cooperation of the two countries will continue in the future.
