World Geothermal Congress has been postponed until May 21 – 26, 2021
Dear geothermal community,
It is with a heavy heart that we have to announce the postponement of the World Geothermal Congress 2020 in Reykjavik, Iceland, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, until next year.
This decision was taken after engaging with various stakeholders; geothermal associations, our sponsors and exhibitors and most importantly, after consulting with the relevant authorities in Iceland. Further to these discussions, it is foreseeable that the hosting of WGC 2020 this spring in Iceland would have been impossible.
As you are all aware, the COVID-19 pandemic and its implications have been grave and the escalation worldwide in recent weeks and days is very worrying. Both the Organising Committee of WGC 2020 and the International Geothermal Association (IGA) have been monitoring the situation and reviewing all available options. This decision now has not been an easy one, however the health and safety of everyone involved is our first priority.
The preparation for WGC 2020 has been ongoing for almost 6 years now, with thousands of geothermal colleagues; authors, reviewers, sponsors, exhibitors and of course all those already registered, contributing towards making WGC 2020 the largest World Geothermal Congress to date. We feel that by postponing rather than cancelling WGC 2020 outright, we are safeguarding all their hard work. The new date of May 21 – 26, 2021 in Reykjavik, Iceland, is the best solution we have at hand under these unprecedented circumstances. While setting the new date, we have had to account for various limitations such as the availability of Harpa, the Conference Centre, accommodation, religious holidays and of course avoiding conflict with other major geothermal events.
We will strive towards ensuring the Congress program will have only minimal revisions and all the speakers will retain their already allocated slots and all the sponsors and exhibitors will maintain their chosen locations in Harpa and all non-technical events will maintain their designated times and venues.
We sincerely hope that you understand our decision and continue to support WGC 2020 under the circumstances. We acknowledge that for some of you, the new date may not be ideal, but we hope you will be able to participate in the World Geothermal Congress in Iceland next year. The Organising Committee of the World Geothermal Congress is working hard to implement this postponement of WGC 2020 and will communicate with all concerned in due time to make these changes go as smooth as possible.
We will do our utmost to ensure that next year in Reykjavik will be the greatest World Geothermal Congress ever! And last but not least, the Organising Committee and the IGA send their heartfelt support to all those affected in one way or another by COVID-19.
With warm regards,
Alexander Richter
President IGA
Bjarni Pálsson
Chairman Organizing Committee
More information and Q&A:
https://www.wgc2020.com/postponement_of_wgc2020_faq/
