News

Training in Borehole Geology began in Kenya in early November, as requested by the Geothermal Development Company (GDC), a state-owned company that conducts research on new geothermal areas on behalf of the Government. Extensive plans are in the works to further geothermal use in the country and therefore the need for training is great. A sixty day training course was arranged which was split into two parts. The first part started in November, but the second one in February 2012. The goal of the training course was to give the staff at GDC, who work in the field of Borehole Geology, training in lab research and field work. There were only seven participants, which enabled the specialist from ISOR to spend ample time with each participant and to train them in the daily work of a borehole geologist.

MSc theses by UNU Fellows Alejandro Rodríguez, Andi Joko Nugroho and Endy Kevin Padilla, who graduated earlier in the year are now available for download on the UNU-GTP website. The reports are: Rodríguez, A., 2011: Water-rock interaction of silicic rocks: an esperimental and geochemical modelling study. Report 1, 44 pp. Nugroho, A.J., 2011: Optimization of electrical power production from high-temperature geothermal fields with respect to silica scaling proplems. Report 2, 49 pp. Padilla Rivas, E.K., 2011: Transport and precipitation of carbon and sulphur in the Reykjanes geothermal system, Iceland. Report 3, 39 pp.

In June, the UNU-GTP and the UNU Media Centre signed a Memorandum of Agreement on a 10 minute documentary on geothermal training in Iceland. Two personnel from the Media Centre came to Iceland in July to record various activities.  In addition to portraying geothermal in Iceland and the activities of the UNU-GTP, the documentary focuses to some extent on the activities of Anna Mwangi, a geophysics Fellow from Kenya.

The UNU-GTP and the Organization of American States (OAS) held a short course on geothermal exploration and development in Santa Tecla, El Salvador, November 7-12, in cooperation with LaGeo S.A. de C.V.  The course is a part of the Geothermal Training Programme‘s series of tailor-made short courses that answers a growing need for geothermal capacity building beyond the financial means of the programme.  The short course was brought about at the intitiative of the OAS in order to support geothermal development in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, and the financing also came from the OAS. Participants came from Colombia (3), Ecuador (3), Peru (3), Chile (1), Costa Rica (1), and El Salvador (3).

Short Course VI on Exploration for Geothermal Resources is currently underway at Lake Naivasha in Kenya.  The course is hosted by the UNU-GTP, Geothermal Development Company, Kenya (GDC), and Kenya Electricity and Generating Company, Ltd. (KenGen).  The course, which started on October 27 and will last until November 18, is a continuation of the short course series on geothermal exploration that falls within the framework of UNU-GTP Millennium Short Courses that have been conducted annually in Kenya since 2005. The course is attended by 57 participants from 14 African countries and 1 from Yemen, which shares many geological features with the Rift Valley region.

Rector Konrad Osterwalder of the United Nations University honored the UNU Geothermal Training Programme by a visit on 3 November. The visit was the first scheduled event on the Rector‘s agenda in Iceland, which also included visits to the UNU Fisheries Training Programme, the UNU Land Restoration Training Programme, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Hellisheidi geothermal power plant, the University of Iceland and its Gender Equality Studies and Training Programme. The day started with a seminar that included presentations on Iceland‘s strategy for development cooperation, the Icelandic International Development Agency (ICEIDA), and the Icelandic UNU training programmes.  After the speeches and presentations, the Rector reflected on the UNU operations in Iceland and his ideas for future development.