STATE OF KNOWLEDGE OF THE GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES OF THE AUC-RGP REGION Mr. Getahun Demissie Geothermal Energy Consultant African Union Commission Addis Abeba, Ethiopia AUC-RGP Working Group Meeting September, 2011 Kampala, Uganda

A. State of knowledge is biased in favor of the Northern EARS The resource potential of the Northern EARS is better known because of: 1.Prevalence of recent volcanism: Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya; 2.Occurrence of high temperature hydrothermal features with close association with young volcanic fields;

3. Early recognition of potential encouraged surveys: UNDP did more sustained work than any other: especially in Kenya, Ethiopia. Its mandate during the 1960s to 1980s allowed it to be the most important early contributor to: ->resource data generation; -> technical skill development; and, -> Institutional capacity creation. Experience gained could grow in time and extend knowledge of the resources with increased depth and areal coverage.

Knowledge of the resources of the Northern EARS At least 45 prospect areas of high temperature geothermal resource areas in the conventional model of volcanic system hosted resources. Several more less conventional resources also exist.

B. The resources of the S. & SW EARS regions are less studied because of the absence of young volcanic activities. But a few basic facts are known: Vigorously discharging high temperature thermal springs indicate high temperatures at depth; Geochemical data often yield estimates of these high temperatures; The EARS region is an anomalously high plateau due to high temperature at depth; WHY?

Why is most of Africa a high plateau (brown), higher than all other continents? iss

High plateau means hot interior region of the continent. Basically good for geothermal. BUT…….. iss

This simple picture becomes complicated in the detail, and the detailed geologic conditions determine the geothermal resource conditions This causes differences in the geothermal regime in different places We say every geothermal prospect area has its own individuality “Personality” Each must be studied as an individual case

Where to start? Hot springs are the most obvious signs of uburface geothermal activity High temperature springs (>c80 Celcius) occur in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia Situation not well known in Comoros, Malawi, Mozambique Where reliable data is not available, assess geologic conditions, inventory the thermal springs and sample them for chemical analyses

What UNDP did in the N. EARS countries can be repeated by AUC doing a similar thing in the S & SW EARS countries, even better There are now more knowledge and experience Better tools and methods

The countries can advance their work faster than before if: They have institutional structures dedicated to geothermal work, Professional staff working full time in geothermal studies and development, Where these do not exist, create a unit in the geologic organization and start with one (wo)man The number of people grows as the work grows and yields encouraging results Collaborate within the region & internationally

Geothermal exploration and development work is not as challenging as it may appear. “Hakuna matata” as Kenyans would say, proving the point. The proving of the Menengai resource is fully due to Kenyan effort. All the work requires are: Government’s willingness to support it People with a few skills, imagination, courage, and dedication to the work

Thank you for your attention