New Zealand Crown Research Institute GNS Science and the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp (JOGMEC) last week unveiled an agreement to cooperate on geothermal energy development.The pact calls for technical cooperation in environmental impacts, survey methods, improving exploration accuracy and sustainability of geothermal reservoirs and supporting public acceptance of geothermal projects.
The Japanese want to tap into New Zealand expertise as they seek to raise their geothermal output, GNS Science said. New Zealand is the world's fifth largest geothermal producer with 1,100 MW of capacity, while Japan is the ninth largest with 540 MW, according to its announcement.
GNS Science said it has provided specialist services to the Japanese geothermal industry for many years.
The agreement follows a meeting in Japan earlier in 2015 between New Zealand's energy and resources minister and Japanese officials.