Geothermal exploration in East Africa Rift Valley States (EARS)

The Icelandic International Development Agency (ICEIDA) and the Nordic
Development Fund (NDF) have launched a new project to support geothermal  exploration in East Africa Rift Valley States (EARS) covering 13 countries: Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, DR Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

Geothermal project funding covers reconnaissance and geothermal exploration leading up to exploratory drilling, training, e.g. through the UNU Geothermal Training Programme, institutional capacity building and policy and legal framework for geothermal utilization.

At the end of the project it is expected that participating countries have:

1) a realistic assessment of potential geothermal sites,
2) plans for further action where applicable,
3) capacity to move forward on the basis of those plans and submit exploration drilling projects into funding pipelines