High-Level Conference of the Global Geothermal Alliance

The Global Geothermal Alliance (GGA) was launched during COP21 in December 2015 to serve as a global platform for improved dialogue, cooperation and coordinated action between geothermal industry, policy makers and other geothermal stakeholders in addressing the challenges hindering both geothermal power generation and direct use of geothermal heat.

The first high-level conference of the GGA took place on 11 September 2017 in Florence, Italy. Co-organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Ministry of Economic Development, and the Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea of Italy together with IRENA, the meeting was attended by 230 high-level public, intergovernmental, non-governmental and senior private sector representatives committed to scaling up geothermal energy deployment worldwide. 

The opening session included opening remarks by Italian ministers and keynote speeches by IRENA Director General Adnan Z. Amin, by H.E. Ólafur Grímsson, Chairman of the Arctic Circle and former President of Iceland, and by H.E. Amani Abou-Zeid, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, African Union Commission. The conference included a Ministerial Roundtable and a panel debate followed by three thematic sessions in the form of panel discussions.  

During the conference, high-level representatives of the GGA members attending the event reaffirmed the commitment to work together to identify and implement measures that will significantly increase the speed of geothermal energy development around the world. Under the terms of the ‘Florence Declaration’ – an outcome of the meeting – governments will actively pursue a collective ambition to realize geothermal potential. 

The 2017 Florence Declaration as well as the main outcomes of the event are available at: www.globalgeothermalalliance.org/ 

Agenda

Photos from the event 

Press releases

• Ministerial Meeting Gathers in Italy to Scale-Up Geothermal Energy Worldwide
• Governments Adopt ‘Florence Declaration’ and Agree to Work Closer to Advance Geothermal Energy

Presentations

Session II

• (Scene-setting presentation) Global Geothermal Alliance: A Global Partnership for Geothermal Energy — Gurbuz Gonul, Acting Director, Country Support and Partnerships Division, IRENA
• Global Geothermal Development – An Overview — Alexander Richter, President, International Geothermal Association
• Geothermal in Indonesia “Unlocking Geothermal Investments, Challenges and Opportunities” — Hendra Iswahyudi, Director for Electricity Business Supervision, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Indonesia

Session III

• (Scene-setting presentation) Strengthening Enabling Frameworks: Geothermal Policy, Regulation and Finance — Ruggero Bertani, President, European Geothermal Energy Council 
• Opportunities & Challenges for Geothermal Development: EBRD’s Support in Scaling-up Investment in Turkey — Adonai Herrera Martínez, Associate Director, Energy Efficiency and Climate Change, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
• Industry’s point of view on current and perspective development for binary geothermal technology worldwide and the role of public policy — Paolo Bertuzzi, Chief Executive Officer, Turboden / MHI Group

Session IV

• (Scene-setting presentation) Developing Geothermal Energy: Lessons & International Collaboration — Mike Allen, Special Envoy for Renewable Energy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, New Zealand
• El Salvador Geothermal Center of Excellence — José Roberto Estévez, Commercial Director, LaGeo S.A. / CEL Group, El Salvador
• International Summer School on Geothermics 2017 — Alessandro Sbrana, Professor, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Pisa