Picture: Group picture ahead of the GRO GTP Seminar, Nov. 5, 2025 (source: ThinkGeoEnergy)
Iceland’s GRÓ Geothermal Training Programme celebrates 50 years of global impact, training over 800 specialists who now drive geothermal development worldwide.
A special event held today in Reykjavík marked almost 50 years of geothermal education under the GRÓ Geothermal Training Programme in Iceland. The gathering, titled “Strengthening Sustainable Energy Development through the GRÓ Geothermal Training Programme,” highlighted the programme’s role in advancing geothermal knowledge and sustainable development around the world and is the forst seminar in a series of similar ones for the other GRÓ programs in land restoration, fisheries and gender equality.
Writing in Vísir, Iceland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Thorgerdur Katrín Gunnarsdóttir reflected on how Iceland evolved from being classified as a developing country in 1976 to becoming a global provider of geothermal expertise. The GRÓ Geothermal Training Programme was founded in 1978 under the United Nations University and later integrated into the GRÓ Centre under UNESCO. Today, it is one of four GRÓ schools operated by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, alongside programmes in fisheries, land restoration, and gender equality. We have been reporting about the programme over the years.
More than 800 geothermal experts from over 60 countries have completed the training. Many have gone on to lead projects and institutions that drive geothermal development in their home regions. Kenya has been one of the programme’s strongest partners since 1982, with over 160 graduates contributing to the country’s emergence as the sixth-largest geothermal power producer in the world. Icelandic and Kenyan experts now collaborate on short courses for other East African countries with geothermal resources.
In Latin America, El Salvador has become a regional training centre where local professionals host courses for neighbouring countries based on experience gained in Iceland. In Asia, 92 graduates from China have played a key role in expanding geothermal heating networks, contributing to the country’s position as the largest user of geothermal heat globally.
Knowledge sharing for a sustainable future
Across the four GRÓ schools, more than 1,800 professionals have graduated, including 117 master’s and 24 PhD recipients supported through GRÓ scholarships. The geothermal programme continues to demonstrate how knowledge sharing can deliver measurable benefits in climate action, energy security, and economic development.
As the Minister emphasized, Iceland once received international support to build its own infrastructure. Today, it is both a responsibility and a privilege for Iceland to share its expertise, supporting sustainable energy development and prosperity in other countries.
Source: Article by Iceland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and notes from the meeting