| Title | NEW ZEALAND SUPPORTING CAPABILITY FOR GEOTHERMAL DRILLING IN EAST AFRICA |
|---|---|
| Authors | J. Brotheridge, G. Ussher and M. Melaku |
| Year | 2021 |
| Conference | New Zealand Geothermal Workshop |
| Keywords | Africa, Geothermal, Drilling, Development Assistance, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Tanzania |
| Abstract | A niche area where New Zealand expertise excels is developing and delivering successful drilling programs both for exploration and exploitation. This expertise has been sought after in many countries around the world, including east Africa, where commitment to geothermal development goes back to the late 1970s. This current project “East Africa Drilling Support” is provided by the African Geothermal Facility (AGF) which is a partnership programme between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and the Africa Union (AU). The goal of this project is building human and institutional capacity focused on technical knowledge and good decision making, not just delivering technical or commercial knowledge to the projects. This is not only critical for the sustained successful execution of the Aluto geothermal project and for the planning of future drilling in Djibouti and Tanzania, but also long-term sustainability and effectiveness of the Partner organisations. The key short-term outcome for this project are for the Partners and their drilling teams, to grow in confidence to manage drilling programs and display an increased understanding and competence in project management. An essential component has been the engagement from the wider teams within the Partner organisations, in particular the inputs and data from the various geoscience disciplines on which the drilling exploration programmes are built. The aim being to look critically at their concept models, consider alternatives and range of outcomes and thus optimising exploration drilling success. This is in conjunction with specific drilling activities such as well design, drilling risk, drilling contracts and drilling management to name a few. The long-term outcome is successful implementation of the Partner’s respective geothermal projects and thus new low-carbon electricity generation in their countries. The technical support and capacity development within this project is intended to help them on this journey of self-reliance but also continue to cement the ongoing relationship and value New Zealand has had in the region for 50 years. |