Industry leaders meet at U.S. GEA International Showcase, May 23, 2012

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, Washington/ DC (source: flickr/ wallyg, creative commons)

Alexander Richter 20 Apr 2012

Next month, the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) will hold its fourth annual International Geothermal Energy Showcase. Hosted by GEA in alliance with the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Department of State, and the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the showcase will feature minister-level speakers from a number of leading geothermal countries.

In addition to World Bank and US agency officials, confirmed speakers for the event, to be held on May 23 at the Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center in Washington, D.C., come from every region of the world. Confirmed speakers include Minister Emilio Rappaccioli, Ministry of Energy and Mining, Nicaragua; Dr. Fouad Ahmed aye, Minister of Energy and Water, Republic of Djibouti; Friedo Sielemann, Counselor, Energy and Environment, German Embassy; Freddy Saragih, Fiscal Policy Board, Ministry of Finance, Indonesia; Dr. Jerrol Thompson, Prime Minister’s Office St. Vincent & Grenadines, and many more.

“The Showcase will bring together the key government and industry leaders who will be making decisions about building thousands of new megawatts of geothermal power,” said Karl Gawell, GEA Executive Director. “GEA is excited to welcome leaders from around the globe to share their practical and insightful geothermal success stories. This is an opportunity for us all to explore and learn from each other about the best policies and approaches to expand geothermal power domestically and abroad.”

The GEA also announced that POWER Engineers and Galena Advisors will serve as Gold Level Sponsors for the event. Headquartered in Hailey, Idaho, POWER Engineers is a global consulting engineering firm specializing in the delivery of integrated solutions for energy, food and beverage, facilities, communications, environmental and federal markets.

“The GEA International Showcase is the perfect setting to demonstrate that U.S. geothermal businesses are leading the way in inventing and supplying geothermal power plants being developed in other countries,” said Mike Long, vice president of Galena Advisors, a division of POWER Engineers. “We’re seeing a great shift in activity as U.S. engineers and suppliers take on new geothermal project work in fast-growing markets overseas. POWER Engineers tips its hat to GEA for its energetic leadership in getting these success stories told.”

The event program will highlight geothermal projects, policies and development from the world’s key geothermal markets including the Caribbean, Latin America, East Africa, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. The program will encourage interaction and discussion about government policies, projects in development, market potential and opportunities for U.S. companies. Attendees will also hear from U.S. government agencies involved in export assistance for geothermal companies, and from U.S. companies developing projects overseas.

Geothermal power presently supplies the world with 10,715 MW of electricity in 24 countries, on six continents, but the potential to use geothermal resources is even greater. In a 2010 International Market Update, GEA identified 70 countries with new projects under development or consideration.  With the technology available today and under development for the future, geothermal resources could supply more than 300,000 MW of power, while producing far fewer carbon emissions than from legacy sources. U.S. companies export geothermal goods and services throughout the world, and with strong support from the administration’s Renewable Energy Export Initiative, the U.S. industry’s position as an international leader should flourish.

To register for the International Geothermal Energy Showcase, or for more information, please visit http://geo-energy.org/events/GEA_ShowCase_05_23_12.aspx.