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NZ geothermal companies increase presence in Japan

NZ geothermal companies increase presence in Japan GNS and Geo40 event in Japan (source: GNS Science)
Carlo Cariaga 22 Apr 2022

The newly formed geothermal coalition increases the presence of GNS Science and Geo40 in Japan, facilitating better sharing of expertise and experience.

GNS Science and Geo40 have announced a geothermal coalition that sees the two companies having an increased physical presence in Japan. This builds on the the long-standing partnerships of GNS Science in Japan and demonstrates the expertise of New Zealand in the geothermal space.

“Our Japanese partners greatly value New Zealand’s geothermal expertise, and each country has a shared respect for each other’s scientific knowledge and experience.” said GNS Science Chief Executive Ian Simpson. “New Zealand shares many similarities to Japan, including a shared vision for zero carbon economies, which is driving strong investment in renewable energy in Japan, including 60 new geothermal power stations planned.”

With this agreement, a Japan-based country manager will represent the interests of the geothermal coalition. This incudes innovation company Geo40, which has developed the first commercial-scale plant for the recovery of silica from geothermal brine. In the future, the technology of Geo40 has been foreseen to help in extracting low-carbon lithium.

Half of the investment for the investment will be provided by the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise’s International Growth Fund while the remaining will come from the GNS Science and Geo40 coalition.

“The coalition has expertise that can make Japanese geothermal power stations produce significantly more electricity more efficiently, reduce or eliminate the small amount of emissions from geothermal generation, and extract value out of by-products.” said Ian Simpson.

Source: GNS Science