Our thanks to our speakers, sponsors and delegates for what was a dynamic, vital, and outcome-oriented first outing for GEOLAC. Our particular thanks to Minister Rene Castro and to the Costa Rican Ministry of Environment, Energy & Telecommunications, our generous and supportive co-hosts.

By the numbers, 100 participants from 21 countries, including senior officials from eight regional governments, participated in the inaugural event. The high-level participation was a clear indication of the extent of the opportunity for geothermal development across the LAC region. By the same token, few would dispute that there are considerable obstacles to overcome before we can expect to see geothermal come online in any meaningful way in many of the region's markets. We look forward to many future events, and to catalyzing the process of fulfiling geothermal's potential region-wide.

To download the final conference agenda, please follow this link.

To download the conference report, please follow this link.

To access GEOLAC presentations, please follow this link.

GEOLAC is a new regional conference which reflects the emergence of geothermal as a long-term and sustainable source of baseload power for Latin America and the Caribbean. GEOLAC gathers key stakeholders - governments, utilities, multilaterals, developers, capital providers, engineers, and other providers of expertise - to explore opportunities for increased geothermal output, tackle obstacles to growth, promote the exchange of knowledge and expertise, and facilitate vital new meetings and relationships.

100 Delegates, 21 Countries, 8 Governments Participate in Inaugural GEOLAC
By any measure, attendance at GEOLAC 2012 was outstanding. Thank you to all our speakers, sponsors and delegates whose participation, collectively, underscored the level of interest in developing the LAC region's geothermal resource. Dates for GEOLAC 2013 will be announced shortly.

High Profile Speakers Close Out GEOLAC 2012 Agenda
Ernesto Jose Martinez Tiffer, Minister-President of Nicaragua's ENEL, Harry Durimel, Vice President of the Regional Council of Guadeloupe, and Marco Antonio Escobar, head of ENDE's Laguna Colorada Geothermal Project, have all confirmed they will participate in, and present at, GEOLAC 2012. The GEOLAC agenda, which features a world-class line-up of regional and international geothermal stakeholders, can be downloaded here.

Costa Rica "Workshop" Takes Shape - Local Leaders Confirmed
The Costa Rica "Workshop" at GEOLAC 2012 - designed to provide international delegates with a strong sense of the direction in which key public sector institutions are taking energy policy and generation - will feature an influential panel of local leaders. Confirmed for the discussion are Gravin Mayorga, General Manager (Generation), Grupo ICE, Hon. Deputy Alfonso Pérez Gómez, Deputy of the Legislative Assembly, Government of Costa Rica, and Hon. Deputy Claudio Monge, President of the Environmental Commission, Government of Costa Rica. The workshop will take place on the morning of September 18th.

Governments from Across the LAC Region Confirm Attendance at GEOLAC
Recent confirmations from the Governments of Peru, Bolivia and St. Lucia add to the already impressive roster of senior regional public sector participants in GEOLAC. The Government of Peru recently confirmed that it would send the head of Electricity Concessions in the Ministry of Energy & Mines to participate. Elsewhere, ENDE, the state-owned power utility in Bolivia confirmed that ENDE's General Manager, as well as the head of the Laguna Colorada geothermal project, would both attend. They join senior governments officials ranging from Dominica and Nevis to Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

ICE and Ormat Confirm Site Visit to Miravalles Geothermal Field
The organizers of CREF are delighted to announce that Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) will be conducting a site visit of the Miravalles geothermal field. The visit, which will be co-hosted by Ormat, will take place on Wednesday, September 19th, and is a no-cost option for delegates wishing to participate. With the incorporation of Miravalles V, which came online in 2004, the installed capacity of the Miravalles field reached 162.5 MW. Miravalles V is the first binary cycle geothermal power plant in Costa Rica. The 15.5 MW power plant is comprised of two water-cooled non-polluting, fuel-free towers which convert the energy contained in the hot brine discharged from the existing Miravalles plants.

Ormat Announces Sponsorship of GEOLAC
The organizers of GEOLAC are delighted to announce that Ormat has confirmed its sponsorship of GEOLAC 2012. Ormat is an undisputed leader in the development of geothermal world-wide and has engineered and built power plants totaling over 1500 MW of gross capacity. In Costa Rica, Ormat has played a role in the development of both the Las Pailas and Miravalles geothermal fields.

Honorable Carlisle Powell, Nevis Minister for Public Utilities, Confirms GEOLAC Participation
Honorable Carlisle Powell, Minister of Public Utilities, Natural Resources & Environment in the Nevis Island Administration has confirmed that he will participate as a speaker in GEOLAC. The road to geothermal has been a challenging one for Nevis. West Indies Power, the developer, has struggled - despite securing a long-term PPA - to put in place the financing needed to execute the project. Minister Powell will be joined at GEOLAC by Hezy Ram, a well-known industry player, who is now engaged in the project and who believes he will be able to secure funding to move the project forward without a sovereign guarantee.

Michael Eckhart, Global Head of Environmental Finance at Citi, former head of ACORE, confirms speaking role at GEOLAC
Michael Eckhart, the Global Head of Environmental Finance at Citi, and former head of ACORE, is confirmed to give a keynote address at the inaugural GEOLAC. Mr. Eckhart is bullish in the near term on prospects for the U.S. geothermal market and expects to see a spillover into the LAC geothermal markets as we move forward.

Central American Governments Confirm Participation in GEOLAC
The organizers of New Energy Events LLC are excited to announce that the Honorable René Castro (Minister of Environment, Energy & Telecommunications, Costa Rica), the Honorable Erick Estuardo Archila Dehesa (Minister of Energy and Mining, Guatemala), and the Honorable Emilio Rappaccioli (Minister of Energy & Mines, Nicaragua) have confirmed they will participate.... > read more

If you are interested in learning about speaking opportunities at GEOLAC 2013, please email us at info@newenergyevents.com.