Steam over cash cut to geothermal course

By DITA DE BONI education reporter

A row over money has thrown into doubt the future of the country's only geothermal engineering training unit.

Auckland University's Geothermal Institute, established in 1979, has trained students from all over the world, providing experts to help harness geothermal energy.

But it is likely to close from next year because a Government agency has withdrawn scholarship funding for its specialist diploma course.

The institute makes most of its revenue from the diploma course.

The diploma is unique in New Zealand, which is one of only three countries in the world - with Japan and Iceland - producing high-calibre specialist geothermal engineers.

Fellowships were provided by the Agency for International Development, a semi-autonomous agency within the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Affairs that runs the Government's international aid programme.

The fellowships, worth just over $1 million, were given to budding geothermal engineers from a number of foreign countries.

Each year, between 25 and 35 students took the one-year, post-graduate diploma course, which would cost them more than $26,000 without the fellowship subsidy.

A few independently financed local students also took the course.

The diploma course, financed by the United Nations for its first nine years, has trained almost 1000 geothermal engineers.

This year's intake included students from China, Colombia, El Salvador, Indonesia, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Turkey and Vietnam.

Professor Arnold Watson, director of the institute, would not comment on the funding loss yesterday, citing sensitivity.

It is understood the institute had already selected next year's intake before negotiations with the Agency for International Development broke down last week.

The agency's executive director, Dr Peter Adams, said it had negotiated "intensively" with the university since May over review findings which suggested that "on level of fees required, continued funding for the geothermal diploma course could not be justified".

The ultimate decision was made by the Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Marian Hobbs, in the past week.

Dr Adams said the agency would have been prepared to continue funding for the diploma while implications of the new policy directions were worked through - "had we been able to reach agreement with Auckland University over fees".

New Zealand has a long history of helping develop geothermal energy reserves in other countries, including Italy, Chile and Mexico.