Kasumi Yasukawa of Jogmec appointed chair of IEA Geothermal Group
IEA Website snapshot, February 2018
Alexander Richter
4 Jan 2022
The International Energy Agency's Geothermal Implementing Agreement group has elected Dr. Kasumi Yasukawa as chair.
Before the end of 2021, Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) announced that Kasumi Yasukawa will become the first Japanese Chair of the Geothermal Sector of the International Energy Agency in January 2022.
The Geothermal Division of the International Energy Agency (IEA) is one of the organizations under the IEA umbrella that collects and shares the latest information on geothermal technology in order to improve the technical capabilities of countries and promote the use of geothermal energy. Japan has been a member of the IEA-GIA since its inception in 1997.
The main activities of the IEA-GIA are to hold Executive Committee meetings and various technical subcommittees, and to publish an annual report summarizing the status of geothermal development and technology trends in the member countries and the activities of the IEA-GIA. JOGMEC also organizes workshops and seminars for geothermal professionals in the region to promote technical exchange, and the Chair plays a leading role in organizing the meetings.
JOGMEC will continue to work closely with international organizations to promote the use of geothermal energy as an important renewable energy source and base load power source that is attracting attention worldwide.
Kasumi Yasukawa, of the Geothermal Division at JOGMEC graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1987 and joined the Geological Survey of Japan (now the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)). After serving as Deputy Director of the Renewable Energy Research Center at AIST, she has been working as a Special Advisor in the Geothermal Management Department at JOGMEC since July 2019, where she has been involved in international cooperation and promoting understanding of geothermal resources.
The IEA is an international organisation established to ensure the stable supply of energy, and is open to OECD countries. The IEA Geothermal, officially known as the IEA – Geothermal Implementing Agreement (IEA-GIA), is open to all OECD countries and companies. The current members are Iceland, Italy, the United Kingdom, Australia, Korea, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, France, the United States, Mexico, Geoplat (the Spanish geothermal association), the European Commission and Ormat Technology.
The IE-GIA is organised and managed by an Executive Committee consisting of representatives and deputies from Member States and other organisations, with a Chair and several Vice-Chairs elected by the members of the Executive Committee. Following the retirement of the current Chair, Mr Lothar Wissing (Germany), at the end of December 2021, Dr Kasumi Yasukawa has been elected as the next Chair.
Source: JOGMEC
