CASE STUDIES (and lessons learned) Educationtional Group Training Course at Kyushu University was...

International Geothermal Days POLAND 2004. Zakopane, September 13-17, 2004Imternational Course on Low Enthalpy Geothermal Resources – Exploitation and Development

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CASE STUDIES (and lessons learned)

Education

I.B. Fridleifsson and L.S. Georgsson: BUILDING UP PROFESSIONAL MAN POWER FOR CEEContribution of the UNU Geothermal Training Programme

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3.7.BUILDING UP PROFESSIONAL MAN POWER FOR CEE -

Contribution of the UNU Geothermal Training Programme

I.B. Fridleifsson ([email protected]) and L.S. Georgsson ([email protected])

United Nations University Geothermal Training ProgrammeOrkustofnun, Grensasvegur 9, IS-108 Reykjavik, Iceland

Abstract

Some use is made of geothermal energy inover thirty countries in Europe. Half of these are inCentral and Eastern Europe (CEE). Despite theirlong tradition in the direct application of geother-mal water in health spas and horticulture, the CEEcountries have in many aspects been isolated andlagging behind in geothermal technology. Until the1990´s, the opportunities for professionals in CEEcountries for geothermal training were fairly res-tricted. A review is made on the availability of geo-thermal training and on the number of participantsfrom CEE countries attending three months or lon-ger training at the four main international geother-mal schools established in the 1970´s (in Iceland,Italy, Japan, and New Zealand). A description is gi-ven of the UNU Geothermal Training Programme(UNU-GTP) in Iceland, which after closure of theother three is the only international graduate schooloffering specialized training in all the main fieldsof geothermal science and engineering. A summaryis made on the contribution of the UNU-GTP toprofessional capacity building in geothermal ener-gy in the CEE countries. Finally, some ideas aresuggested on possible next steps in geothermaltraining for the benefit of the CEE countries.

Introduction

The pioneering countries of geothermal deve-lopment (e.g. Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Japan, NewZealand, and the USA) started developing theirgeothermal resources basically from scratch (Frid-leifsson,1995). Engineers, geologists, chemists, andphysicists combined forces within each country.The first groups of geothermal specialists werecommonly built at government agencies such as theUSGS (USA), DSIR (New Zealand), and the StateElectricity Authority (later named Orkustofnun,

Iceland). Much experience was drawn from estab-lished disciplines such as groundwater hydrology,mineral exploration, oil exploration, oil productionetc. Many key people in the early days of geother-mal development first met at the United NationsConference on New Sources of Energy in Rome in1961. That meeting was a milestone in internationalcooperation in geothermal energy research anddevelopment.

It has long been recognized that the develop-ment of geothermal resources requires a dedicatedgroup of highly skilled specialists from many dis-ciplines of science and engineering. Because of itsdiversity, geothermal energy research is not taughtas a separate subject at universities, but is a fieldwhere specialized theoretical work and practicaltraining is required at post-graduate level. Thetraining of geothermal specialists has mainly takenplace on-the-job within companies and institutions.But especially for the benefits of the developingcountries, international geothermal schools havecontributed significantly in the transfer of geother-mal technology from the leading geothermal coun-tries to newcomers in the field.

International geothermal schools

The first international geothermal schools wereestablished in 1970 in Italy (the InternationalSchool of Geothermics in Pisa), and in Japan (theInternational Group Training Course on Geother-mal Energy at Kyushu University). Both were sup-ported by UNESCO and the respective govern-ments. The support from UNESCO, however, soonbecame a token amount only. After internationaldeliberations on the increasing need for geothermaleducation in view of the oil crisis, two new geo-thermal schools were established in 1978, in NewZealand (the Geothermal Institute at the University

mailto:[email protected]

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of Auckland) and in Iceland (the United NationsUniversity (UNU) Geothermal Training Program-me in Reykjavik). The Geothermal Diploma Cour-se in Auckland was for the first years supported bythe UNDP and the New Zealand government, butlater UNDP withdrew its support. The UNU Geo-thermal Training Programme in Iceland was estab-lished by the United Nations University and theGovernment of Iceland, and has received supportfrom both throughout its history.

Due to cuts in government financing, the Pisaschool has not held its annual course since 1992.The school has, however, during 1985-2003, or-ganized 19 short courses (1-3 weeks) in Africa,Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and inCentral and Eastern Europe (Dickson, 2004). Fiveof these (in Central and Eastern Europe) have beenheld in cooperation with the International SummerSchool (based in Skopje, Macedonia).

Due to drastic cuts in government financing inJapan and New Zealand respectively, the Interna-tional Group Training Course at Kyushu Universitywas closed in late 2001 (Ushijima, 2002), and theDiploma Course at Auckland University in late2002 (Watson, 2002). Auckland University will,however, continue admitting students to MSc andPhD studies in geothermal as a part of its regularactivities. Kyushu University started a new doc-toral course (with Japanese government scholar-ships) entitled “International Special Course of En-vironmental Systems Engineering” in 2002. Geo-thermal energy will be among the topics eligiblefor such scholarships.

The UNU Geothermal Training Programme(UNU-GTP) is thus at present the only internatio-nal graduate school offering specialized training inall the main fields of geothermal science and engi-neering. MSc studies are also offered at the Fa-culty of Science and the Faculty of Engineering ofthe University of Iceland in cooperation with theUNU-GTP.

In the last three years, the number of fully fun-ded training places available per year at interna-tional geothermal schools has thus decreased fromabout 50 (Iceland 18-20, Japan 10, New Zealand20-25) to about 20, which is far from being suf-ficient as more and more countries are starting touse geothermal resources. Some developing coun-tries, for example the Philippines, have alreadybuilt up a strong core of geothermal experts withthe assistance of the international training centresand by suitably qualified staff working side by sidewith foreign consultants. Most of the developingcountries, however, have a long way to go towardsbecoming self sufficient in the expertise needed toharness the geothermal energy resources that mayreside unused in the countries.

Geothermal training available to Central andEastern Europe

Despite their long tradition in the direct appli-cation of geothermal water in health spas and hor-ticulture, the countries of Central and Eastern Euro-pe (CEE) have in many aspects been isolated andlagging behind in geothermal technology. The op-portunities for geothermal training were until the1990’s much more restricted for professionals inthese countries than in the developing countries.The short courses organized almost annually by theInternational Summer School in Skopje (Macedo-nia) have, however, served a valuable purpose andhave created good contacts between specialists inindividual countries.

Into the 1990’s, only a few of the countries ofCentral and Eastern Europe were eligible for scho-larships awarded through the United Nations. Onlythose countries which had a recipient status withinthe United Nations Development Programme(UNDP) could receive UN scholarships for geo-thermal training. This excluded all the republics ofthe former Soviet Union. The countries with UNDPrecipient status included Albania, Bulgaria, Poland,Romania, Turkey, and the republics of formerYugoslavia, but excluded countries with relativelyhigh per capita income, such as Czechoslovakia andHungary. The categories of recipient countries we-re changed within the UN system in the mid1990´s, with all of the republics of the former So-viet Union and most of the CEE countries beco-ming eligible for UN fellowships. The only coun-tries within the region with a national income percapita too high to receive UN fellowships were theCzech Republic, Greece (which is also an EUmember), Hungary, and Slovenia.

With the entrance of some of the CEE coun-tries into the European Union (EU) in 2004, the si-tuation has changed again. The new member coun-tries of EU previously eligible for UN Fellowships(Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Slovakia)are not eligible for UN Fellowships any more.

According to available statistics from the fourmain international geothermal schools in Iceland(Fridleifsson, 2003), Italy (Dickson, 2004), Japan(Ushijima, 2002), and New Zealand (Browne,2004) the number of participants from the countriesof Central and Eastern Europe attending threemonths or longer training has been as follows: Ice-land 52, Italy 35, Japan 35, New Zealand 26, or atotal of 148. The 52 people trained in Iceland camefrom Bulgaria (5), Georgia (1), Greece (3, on spe-cial scholarships from Brussels), Latvia (1), Lithu-ania (2), Macedonia (1), Poland (14), Romania (5),Russia (4), Serbia (3), Slovakia (2), Turkey (9), andUkraine (2). The 35 people trained in Italy camefrom Bulgaria (3), Czechoslovakia (1), Greece (10),Hungary (2), Macedonia (1), Poland (2), Romania(3), Turkey (8), and Yugoslavia (5). The 35 people


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trained in Japan came from Albania (1) and Turkey(34). The 26 people trained in New Zealand camefrom Romania (4), Russia (1), Slovakia (1), andTurkey (20).

Excluding participants from Greece and Tur-key, the numbers of participants from the CEEcountries at the international schools are asfollows: Iceland 40, Italy 17, Japan 1, and NewZealand 6, or a total of 64.

As mentioned in the previous chapter, theUNU Geothermal Training Programme (UNU-GTP) is at present the only international graduateschool offering specialized training in all the mainfields of geothermal science and engineering.

Geothermal training in Iceland

The Government of Iceland and the UnitedNations University (UNU) decided in 1978 to es-tablish the UNU Geothermal Training Programme(UNU-GTP) in Iceland. Orkustofnun (the NationalEnergy Authority of Iceland) became the hostinstitution of the UNU-GTP. The aim of the UNU-GTP is to assist developing countries and CEEcountries with significant geothermal potential tobuild up groups of specialists that cover mostaspects of geothermal exploration and sustainabledevelopment. Since 1979, the UNU-GTP has heldannual six month courses for professionals fromdeveloping countries. Nine specialized lines oftraining are offered: geological exploration, bore-hole geology, geophysical exploration, boreholegeophysics, reservoir engineering, chemistry ofthermal fluids, environmental studies, geothermalutilization, and drilling technology (www.os.is/unugtp/). Each trainee attends only one specializedcourse. The trademark of the training is to give uni-versity graduates engaged in geothermal work in-tensive on-the-job training in their chosen fields ofspecialization. The trainees work side by side withgeothermal professionals in Iceland. The training istailor-made for the individual and the needs of hisinstitution/country.

A significant part of the practical training isdone in connection with the research projects of theFellows. In most cases the participants bring withthem data from geothermal projects in their homecountries, but sometimes the research projects areintegrated with geothermal exploration or utiliza-tion projects that are in progress in Iceland at thetime of training. The project topic is always selec-ted with respect to the conditions of the homecountry of the participant. All the project reportsare published by the UNU-GTP. Since 1994, thereports have been published in the annual book“Geothermal Training in Iceland”, which has aninternational publishing code (ISBN 9979). Copiescan be obtained upon request. The reports aremailed regularly to former UNU Fellows and manyof the leading geothermal institutions in the deve-

loping countries. The titles of the reports from1979-2003 and the abstracts from 1988-2003 canbe found on the home page of the UNU-GTP(www.os.is/unugtp/). From 2002 the completereports in a pdf version can be accessed from thehome page.

Participants are selected by private interviewsduring site visits to the countries where UNU-GTPrepresentatives make assessments of geothermalfields, research institutions and energy utilities. Par-ticipants are selected for training in specializationsconsidered most relevant to promote geothermaldevelopment in the respective country. Candidatesmust have a university degree in science or engi-neering, a minimum of one year practical experi-ence in geothermal work, speak English fluently,have a permanent position at a public energy com-pany/utility, research institution, or university, andbe under 40 years in age.

Participants from developing and most transi-tional countries have received Fellowships financedby the Government of Iceland and the UNU thatcover international travel, tuition fees, and per diemin Iceland. The UNDP and the International AtomicEnergy Agency (IAEA) have also financed fel-lowships for several trainees through the years.Qualified participants from industrialized countries(including EU countries) can also be accepted oncondition that they obtain similar scholarships fromtheir own institutions/countries. The total cost perparticipant is about EUR 30.000.

Since the foundation of the UNU-GTP in 1979,300 scientists and engineers from 39 countries havecompleted the annual six month specialized coursesoffered. Of these, 43% have come from countriesin Asia, 25% from Africa, 15% from Latin Ame-rica, and 17% from CEE. The largest groups havecome from China (54), Kenya (33), Philippines(29), El Salvador (20), Ethiopia (20), Poland (14),Indonesia (12), Costa Rica (11), and Iran (10). Inmany countries, UNU-GTP graduates are amongthe leading specialists in geothermal research anddevelopment. They have also been very active in-ternationally, as exemplified at the World Geo-thermal Congress in Japan in 2000, where 61 UNUFellows from 24 countries attended and presentedpapers. Among these were 14 women.

Institutional environment of geothermaltraining in Iceland

The UNU-GTP is operated at Orkustofnun, theNational Energy Authority of Iceland. Orkustofnunis a government agency under the Ministry of In-dustry and Commerce. Its main responsibilities ha-ve been to advise the Government of Iceland onenergy issues and related topics, and to carry outenergy research and provide consulting servicesrelating to energy development and utilization. In2002, 80 research reports were published and 100scientific papers and abstracts by staff members ap-


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peared in refereed journals and conferenceproceedings.

Orkustofnun has been divided into four in-dependent units: the Energy Management Division,the UNU Geothermal Training Programme (UNU-GTP), the Geoscience Division, and theHydrological Service Division. The total staff hasbeen about 110, thereof 77% university graduates.Most of the teaching and research supervision ofthe UNU-GTP has been conducted by geothermalspecialists of the Geoscience Division.

In 2003, as a result of changes in the energylegislation in Iceland, the Geoscience Division wasseparated from Orkustofnun and a new govern-mentally owned company established with the na-me Islenskar Orkurannsoknir (ISOR). The Englishname is ISOR - Iceland GeoSurvey. The principaltasks of ISOR are to conduct research under con-tract on potential energy resources, their nature andpossible utilization; to invent, develop, and adaptmethods and equipment to study the country’senergy resources; to teach and supervise researchstudents attending the UNU-GTP; and to market itsexpertise internationally ( www.isor.is ). The newcompany continues to work on the same premisesand with the same staff as the former GeoscienceDivision of Orkustofnun. ISOR has a chemical la-boratory, geophysical laboratory, petrologicallaboratory, and three logging trucks for geothermalwells. The capacity of ISOR makes it one of theleading geothermal energy research institutions inthe world. The UNU-GTP is located on the samefloor of the building as ISOR. Hence, the inte-gration of the UNU Fellows with the specialistsand the research atmosphere at ISOR is expected tocontinue as in previous years. In 2003, specialistsat ISOR were responsible for 60% of the training atthe UNU-GTP.

The UNU-GTP also has a close cooperationwith the University of Iceland (UI). Staff membersof the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Engi-neering have been amongst the key lecturers andsupervisors of the UNU Fellows in some subjectsthroughout the 25 years of operations of the UNU-GTP. The UNU Fellows have full rights and pri-vileges to use the facilities of the UI as registeredstudents. In May 2000, a special cooperation agree-ment was signed between the UNU-GTP and theUI on MSc studies in geothermal science and engi-neering. This is designed for UNU Fellows whohave already completed the traditional six monthcourses at the UNU-GTP. The six month training isan integral part of the MSc programme andaccounts for 15 points out of the 60 required for theMSc.

The UNU-GTP has three permanent staffmembers (employed by Orkstofnun). Dr. Ingvar B.Fridleifsson has been the director of the UNU-GTPfrom the beginning, except for two breaks, Mr.Ludvik S. Georgsson has been the deputy-director

since 1990, and Mrs. Gudrun Bjarnadottir has beenthe administrative assistant since 1996. Lecturersand support staff are hired from ISOR, Orku-stofnun, the UI, and other agencies/companies tomeet the training requirements of the UNU Fellowsin the respective year. Every year, about 50 specia-lists from these institutions render such services tothe UNU-GTP under specific contracts. This givesthe necessary flexibility for providing highly spe-cialized training in the nine fields of specializationoffered.

The UNU-GTP is academically governed by aStudies Board, which is composed of nine geo-thermal experts (from ISOR and UI) responsible foreach of the specialized courses that are offered. TheUNU-GTP director is the chairman of the StudiesBoard.

UNU Fellows from CEE countries trainedin Iceland

From 1985, 52 UNU Fellows from 13 CEEcountries have completed the six month training atthe UNU-GTP in Iceland. Many of them are nowamong the leading geothermal experts of theircountries. Most of the UNU Fellows from the CEEcounties trained in Iceland are still involved withgeothermal work in their home countries, at least tosome extent. In her presentation at the InternationalConference IGC2003 held in Reykjavik to celebratethe 25th anniversary of the UNU-GTP, Kepinska(2003) reviewed the activities of the UNU Fellowsfrom the CEE countries. About 40 of the 52 UNUFellows (77%) are still active in work related withgeothermal and energy matters. They play an im-portant role as members of teams working on geo-thermal research and development, project imple-mentation, and operations. Many are working in u-niversities and research institutions, where they ha-ve the opportunity to spread the knowledge they ha-ve acquired in Iceland. Many have also been veryactive in participating in national and internationalconferences and are thus keen to update their know-ledge.

According to Kepinska (2003), the UNU-GTPhas provided “significant and exceptional assist-ance and support for CEE countries in educatingteams of professionals capable of conducting ver-satile activities aimed at geothermal use and deve-lopment”. But there is always room for impro-vement. Kepinska (2003) mentions that the poten-tial of many former UNU Fellows themselves couldbe used more effectively, involving them in moreinitiatives and projects connected with geothermalenergy development to be conducted in their homecountries. She suggests that here, the UNU and theGovernment of Iceland might play a more sub-stantial role in activating national and governmentalbodies in the respective CEE countries on a highdiplomatic level to inform directly about the scopeand amounts of permanent aid available for the


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education of geothermal professionals, and thestrength of their own highly professional humanresources for further geothermal development inthe countries concerned. This is an important issuewhich relates to the promotion of geothermal as anenergy source. In many countries, geothermalenergy is not included in the national energy plansand is to a large extent ignored by the energyutilities and the respective ministries. The officialsare in some cases neither aware of the value oftheir natural energy resources nor their humanresources. This may, however, also reflect that thegeothermal specialists are conducting their researchwithin the universities and research institutionswith only a limited direct contact with the users ofthe geothermal energy and the regional/nationalenergy authorities. This is most likely to happenwhen a country is in the initial stages of using itsgeothermal resources in a commercial way. Oncegeothermal energy makes a breakthrough as aviable energy source at community level, it is notlooked on as a curiosity any more but considered asa real alternative to polluting coal and oil. As anexample, the growing number of municipal geo-thermal district heating systems in Poland is gradu-ally changing the image of geothermal resources inthe country. There is a considerable difference in the back-ground of many of the UNU Fellows from CEEcountries and those who have come from Africa,Asia, and Central America. In the latter three con-tinents, most of the UNU Fellows (over 90%, ex-

cept in China 80%) have come from national en-ergy companies and geological surveys which arealready deeply involved in geothermal explorationand development projects, commonly fundedthrough the national budget or by international aidagencies. Over half of the UNU Fellows from CEEcountries have on the other hand come fromuniversities and applied science institutions relatedto the scientific academies of the respective coun-tries. All of them have, however, been involvedwith geothermal research projects. Many of themhave been very active in giving lectures and insome cases organized geothermal workshops andconferences that have served the European geother-mal community.

Table 1 lists the countries and the specializedlines of training of the UNU Fellows from the CEEcountries. It is noticeable that all except three havebeen trained in only four study lines (out of nine):Geothermal Utilization/engineering (18), ReservoirEngineering (15), Chemistry of Thermal Fluids(11), and Borehole Geophysics (5). All are fieldsthat rely to a considerable extent on computer mo-delling and simulations. No participants have beentrained in geological exploration and drilling tech-nology, as these subjects are generally very wellmastered in the home countries. With regard to en-vironmental studies, this may also apply, but it canprobably also be partially explained by the fact thatthis specialized line of study was not opened untilin 1997.

Table 1: Number of UNU Fellows from the CEE countries and their specializations.

Country

Geo

logi

cal

Exp

lora

tion

Bor

ehol

eG

eolo

gy

Geo

phys

ical

Exp

lora

tion

Bor

ehol

eG

eoph

ysic

s

Res

ervo

irE

ngin

eeri

ng

Che

mis

try

ofT

herm

al F

luid

s

Env

iron

men

tal

Stud

ies

Geo

ther

mal

Util

izat

ion

Dri

lling

Tec

hnol

ogy

Total

Bulgaria 1 2 2 5Georgia 1 1Greece 1 2 3Latvia 1 1Lithuania 1 1 2Macedonia 1 1Poland 2 5 1 6 14Romania 1 4 5Russia 2 2 4Serbia 1 1 1 3Slovakia 1 1 2Turkey 1 1 3 1 3 9Ukraine 2 2Total CEE 0 1 1 5 15 11 1 18 0 52

Poland has the largest number of UNU-GTPgraduates (14). Of these, 6 have studied Geo-thermal Utilization, and 5 Reservoir Engineering.

Seven are based in Krakow and work at the Uni-versity of Mining and Metallurgy (3), institutionsof the Polish Academy of Sciences (3), and theAGH University of Science and Technology (1).They have studied and are teaching/conducting re-


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search in Geothermal Utilization (3), BoreholeGeophysics (2), Reservoir Engineering (1), andChemistry of Thermal Fluids (1). Three are re-search workers at the Faculty of Engineering at theTechnical University of Szczecin. Two are teach-ing/conducting research in reservoir engineering atthe Faculty of Earth Sciences of the University ofSilesia. One of the first UNU Fellows coming fromKrakow (in 1991) later became the founding di-rector of the largest geothermal district heating sys-tem in Poland (Zakopane, Podhale region). There isno question that several of these good professionals

could form the core of teachers/trainers of an inter-national post-graduate training programme in geo-thermal energy related to their specialized fields.They might, however, need to secure direct parti-cipation in commercial geothermal utilization pro-jects in order to serve as best the training needs ofthe growing geothermal industry in Poland andneighbouring countries. Figure 1 shows the UNU-GTP Class of 1991, with the first two UNUFellows from Poland, the first from Slovakia andthe third from Serbia.

Figure 1. The UNU-GTP Class of 1991 with four CEE participants.

Turkey has the second largest number ofUNU-GTP graduates (9). Of these, 3 have studiedGeothermal Utilization and 3 Chemistry of Ther-mal Fluids. Five of the graduates are universityprofessors or lecturers, but they work at five dif-ferent universities. They give lectures on geo-thermal energy at their universities. But it would bedifficult for them to organize a post-graduate train-ing programme in geothermal energy due to thefact that they work so far from each other. Two ofthe graduates are post-graduate research students atuniversities. Two of the early graduates work withgeothermal consulting companies. With the rapidexpansion of direct utilization of geothermal ener-gy in Turkey, the need for geothermal training isincreasing. Through close cooperation of the geo-thermal utilities and the research departments of theuniversities, Turkey may become an ideal trainingground in exploration and direct utilization ofgeothermal energy.

Romania has five UNU-GTP graduates, allteaching/researching at the University of Oradea.Four of them have studied Geothermal Utilizationand one Chemistry of Thermal Fluids with specialemphasis on corrosion and scaling. The Universityof Oradea has established an International Geo-thermal Training Centre, but so far there have notbeen held any regular courses at the centre. TheEuropean Summer School on Direct Applicationsof Geothermal Energy was, however, held therewith great success in 2001. This centre will be in agood position to organize courses on the direct useof geothermal energy in the future.

Next steps in geothermal training inCEE countries

Significant experience is available in a dozenEuropean countries in geothermal exploration anddevelopment. Several CEE countries have built upstrong groups of geothermal professionals. Many ofthe key people of these groups have received train-


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ing at the international geothermal schools, butmost of the training has taken place on the job inthe respective countries. But the manpower resour-ces are unevenly distributed. More training is need-ed for people in several CEE countries, both at pro-fessional and technician levels, to speed up the de-velopment of the geothermal resources for thebenefit of the environment and the well being ofthe people. This may also save repeating the mis-takes that their neighbours have made under similarconditions in the years past. Many CEE countrieshave completed initial surveys and have in somecases started utilization projects of their geothermalresources and are at a stage of wishing to developthe resources using up-to-date technology. Theyare, however, in many cases handicapped both bythe lack of financing and the needed infrastructureof trained personnel.

As mentioned earlier in the paper, the UNUGeothermal Training Programme (UNU-GTP) is atpresent the only international graduate school of-fering specialized training in all the main fields ofgeothermal science and engineering. The UNU-GTP gives preference to qualified candidates fromCEE countries eligible for UNU Fellowships whoare directly involved with geothermal projects, aslong as the projects are considered to be of nationalor regional value. The number of UNU Fellowshipsis, however, limited. Qualified candidates from EUcountries can only be accepted for the six monthtraining on the condition that they are supported bygrants equal to those of the UNU Fellowships.

In view of the emphasis of the European andthe international community on substituting pollu-ting fossil fuels with renewable energy, the timehas probably come to consider the establishment ofan international geothermal training centre special-ly focusing on the needs of the CEE countries. TheInternational Geothermal Training Centre at theUniversity of Oradea in Romania, and a similartraining centre (e.g. in Poland and/or Turkey) focu-sing on other specialized subjects, may in the futureserve an important role for geothermal training inCentral and Eastern Europe.

In the plans of the UNU-GTP for 2005-2007,the core activity will continue to be specialized sixmonth training with about 20 Fellows annually.The present MSc programme with the University ofIceland is expected to expand from 5 to 10 MScstudents per year. New activities will involve shortcourses in Africa (Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda) underthe REEEP initiative (Johannesburg Summit 2002)which are planned to start in Kenya in 2005 incooperation with KenGen and UNEP/GEF. TheGovernment of Iceland made a further commitmentat the International Conference for RenewableEnergies (in Bonn, June 2004) to provide the corefunding for short specialized courses in geothermaldevelopment conducted in selected countries inAfrica, Asia, and Central America. The courses

will be set up in cooperation with the energyagencies/utilities and earth science institutionsresponsible for the exploration, development andoperation of geothermal energy power stations andutilities in the respective countries. The teachingwill be in the hands of UNU-GTP graduates in therespective countries/regions and the regularteachers of the UNU-GTP. The time plans for thefirst courses in Asia and Central America havetentatively been set for 2006-2008. Longer termgoals of the United Nations University and theUNU-GTP are to assist in the establishment offormal training centres with former UNU Fellowsas main teachers in e.g. China, El Salvador, Kenya,and Philippines.

The UNU-GTP would be prepared to assist inthe establishment of an international geothermaltraining centre(s) focusing on the needs of the CEEcountries. The core funding for such a centre wouldmost logically come from the EU. The teachingmaterial prepared for the regular operations of theUNU-GTP together with the material prepared forthe short courses in Africa, Asia, and CentralAmerica, could be adapted and shared with suchinternational geothermal training centres in theCEE countries under a cooperation agreement.

References

Browne, P.R.L., 2004. Personal communication.Dickson, M.H., 2004. Personal communication.Fridleifsson, I.B., 1995. Human resources in

geothermal development. Proceedings of the17th New Zealand Geothermal Workshop, 7-12.

Fridleifsson, I.B., 2003. Twenty five years ofgeothermal training in Iceland. Proceedings ofthe International Geothermal ConferenceIGC-2003 on Multiple Integrated Uses ofGeothermal Resources, Reykjavik, Iceland.P02 4-21.

Kepinska, B., 2003. Contribution of UNU/GTPtraiing to geothermal development in Centraland Eastern European countries. Proceedingsof the International Geothermal Conference“Multiple Integrated Use of GeothermalResources, Reykjavik, S02 40-51.

Ushijima, K., 2002. Thirty two years ofGeothermal Group Training in KyushuUniversity. Kyushu University (Japan), 131p.(www.mine.kyushu-u.ac.jp)

Watson, A., 2003. New Zealand Diploma courseends – Geothermal Institute continues. IGANews, v. 50, 13-14.

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