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East Africa growth opportunities to be discussed at Geo-T Expo, Nov. 11-13, 2014 in Essen

East Africa growth opportunities to be discussed at Geo-T Expo, Nov. 11-13, 2014 in Essen Internationale Geothermie Industriemesse GEO-T EXPO 2013.
Francisco Rojas 27 Jun 2014

The 2014 GEO-T Expo will take place in Essen this November and will take a closer look at the geothermal hot spots in Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania alongside with the Pacific regions.

In addition to the Pacific Ring of Fire, East Africa is one of the world’s regions in whose ground an enormous geological potential is lying dormant. Even at depths of nearly 1,000 metres, it is already possible to tap thermal water springs at a temperature of 200°C through drill holes. The turbines of geothermal power stations are then driven with the emerging steam in order to produce electricity. According to estimates made by international experts, min. 15,000 MWh of electric power can be exploited along the rift valley. The African Union has also recognised this potential. Together with Kreditanstalt fu?r Wiederaufbau (KfW – “Credit Institution for Reconstruction”), it has founded a fund (Geothermal Risk Mitigation Facility – GRMF) which provides financial support for geological investigations and test drill holes. The Federal Ministry of Development and the European Union have also contributed to the deposit of Euro 50 million.

The GEO-T Expo will take a closer look at the chances in the hot spots in Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania with experts at an event on November 11, 2014. The event entitled “Deep Geothermics in East Africa” is being organised together with the Chamber of Foreign Trade in Kenya (delegation of the German economy in Kenya), IGO (the International Coordination Office of GtV) as well as energiewaechter GmbH. The event is being supported by Exportinitiative Erneuerbare Energien (“Export Initiative for Renewable Energies”) and the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy. Here, primarily small and medium-sized enterprises will have the unique chance to obtain first-hand information about the possibilities of entering the geothermal market in East Africa and to establish initial contacts. These may be very useful for business purposes because the African Union wants to promote geothermics in a targeted way and to use GRMF as a market stimulation programme for the energy markets in East African countries such as Rwanda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya or Uganda.
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In cooperation with Lorenz Kommunikation, the organiser of the fair has already tied up a few additional highlights. For example, the international geothermal industrial fair will offer forums on facility management and the possibilities of local authorities utilising geothermics, a Campus Day or the Scientific Showcase.

Moreover, the GEO-T Expo has been provided with a new look on line. With immediate effect, all the information about the fair, the specialist congress staged by GtV or the forums at the fair is being portrayed in a very intelligible form in German and English on the new Internet presence. At www.geotexpo.com, trade visitors, exhibitors and journalists can quickly find all the important information and registration documents which can be filled in directly on line.

As the cooperation partner, Bundesverband Geothermie e.V. (GtV) will offer interesting and informative specialist subjects in the DGK Congress. The GEO-T Expo 2014 and the DGK Congress will take place at Messe Essen on November 11 – 13.

Further information: www.geotexpo.com

Source: Press Release Messe Essen