Capacity Building on Geothermal Direct Use Applications

According to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the demand for food and water is expected to grow by up to 50% by 2050, putting pressure on existing water and food systems. Scaling up investment in renewable energy technologies in agriculture and food (“agri-food”) sector is critical to the resilience of food systems and the global energy transition. There are many opportunities for renewable energy technologies to support food production, drying, cooling, storage, transport and distribution.

IRENA drives the widespread adoption and sustainable use of all forms of renewable energy, including geothermal, in the pursuit of sustainable development, energy access, and energy security, for economic and social resilience and prosperity and a climate-proof future. Building on IRENA’s analysis on Powering Agri Value Chains with Geothermal Heat, the Agency plans to further support African countries in increasing their capacities to develop geothermal direct-use applications, particularly for the agri-food sector.  

Uganda holds significant geothermal potential, with at least 1,500 MW available for power generation and 6,000 MWth for direct-use applications e.g. in the agri-food value chains such as fisheries, tea, fruits, rice, etc. In line with the mandate of the Global Geothermal Alliance (GGA), IRENA aims to provide capacity building support to Uganda stakeholders in developing required institutional, expert and enterprise capacities in policy, regulation, technology and finance with the overall objective to support the development of geothermal direct-use application.

The training will take place between 24th and 27th November 2025. Each day will cover specific topics, and the training design will include practical learning and experience-sharing on successful geothermal direct-use projects from Kenya and Iceland. Participants will be equipped and guided on the next steps of formulation of a clear roadmap for pilot demonstration projects for geothermal in agro processing for a selected value chain.

Closed meeting, by invitation only.