Regional and international training centres

IGA database of global geothermal courses is an online platform that provides an overview of geothermal training courses and programmes by continent and country.

The information presented includes the location and name of the course or programme, the teaching language, the main research focus, the qualification awarded and contact details.

The Geothermal Training Programme in Iceland (GRO GTP) is a postgraduate training programme to assist developing countries build capacity for geothermal exploration and development.

The programme consists of six-months’ training for practising professionals from developing and transitional countries with significant geothermal potential. Priority is given to countries where geothermal development is under way, to maximise technology transfer. The programme is offered annually and covers eight specialised themes:

a) geothermal geology
b) geophysical exploration
c) reservoir engineering and borehole geophysics
d) chemistry of thermal fluids
e) environmental science
f) geothermal utilisation
g) drilling technology
h) project management and finances

The Geothermal Training programme operated in Iceland between 1978 and 2019 as the United Nations Geothermal Training Programme (UNU-GTP) as a collaboration between the Government of Iceland and the United Nations University; and from 2020 it operates as GRO GTP under the auspices of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). It is hosted at Orkustofnun (National Energy Authority of Iceland).

The hallmark of GRO GTP is to give university graduates engaged in geothermal work intensive training in their chosen fields of specialisation. The trainees work side by side with geothermal experts in Iceland drawn from Iceland GeoSurvey, University of Iceland, Reykjavik University and other agencies/companies. The aim is to help developing countries with significant geothermal potential build up groups of specialists that cover most aspects of geothermal exploration and development. This increases their capacity to develop and utilise their geothermal resources.

GRO GTP also offers successful candidates the possibility of extending their studies to MSc or PhD degrees in geothermal sciences or engineering in co‑operation with the University of Iceland and Reykjavik University. Short course series are offered annually in East Africa (held in Kenya) and Latin America and the Caribbean (held in El Salvador) in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

For further information visit www.grocentre.is/gtp.

El Salvador is one of the pioneering countries in geothermal energy in Latin America. Gifted with favourable geological conditions, efforts to utilise geothermal resources for power supply in El Salvador date back to the 1950s.

With its extensive geothermal history, El Salvador-LAGEO employs many experts working in the field. Its vast technical, scientific and managerial capacities have been shared through various courses and workshops for young professionals from El Salvador, Latin America and the Caribbean in co‑operation with the Geothermal Training Programme in Iceland - GRO GTP (previously UNU-GTP).

In addition, the five-month Geothermal Diploma Course for Latin America has greatly contributed to making El Salvador a reference country as a centre of excellence for geothermal training in the region. This academic project resulted from an important co‑operation agreement signed by LAGEO and GRO GTP to jointly implement a study programme carried out by Salvadoran and Icelandic experts.

To date, more than 700 professionals from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Montserrat, Nevis, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, St Vincent and El Salvador have taken part in the geothermal short courses and the Geothermal Diploma Course in El Salvador.

For further information visit www.lageo.com.sv.

Africa Geothermal Centre of Excellence (AGCE) is an initiative stemming from co‑operation between the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Icelandic International Development Agency (ICEIDA) and geothermal developers in Kenya to support the development of geothermal energy through skilled manpower development.