Japan: Geothermal Developer Issues First Green Bond to Finance Projects

ORIX to Issue the first Green Bonds in Japan (News Release)

ORIX Corporation has decided to issue its first Green Bond (unsecured straight bonds) in the domestic market.

Green bonds are bonds issued by companies to finance green projects (such as renewable energy, construction and renovation of energy‐saving structures, and projects with environmental improvement effects such as the prevention and management of environmental pollution).

In the Environment and Energy Business, which is subject to this Green Bond, ORIX is actively promoting renewable energy businesses such as wind power, geothermal power and biomass power generation, including the development and operation of solar power generation business with a total capacity of approximately 1,000MW in Japan. By promoting the Renewable Energy Business, ORIX will address the global challenge of climate change and achieve long‐term business growth.

East Africa: Opportunity to Influence Financing Policy for Geothermal Energy Projects

Online Survey for Project Financing and Direct-Use Projects (GRMF)

Awarded projects from Application Round 1 to Application Round 5

Dear Developers, After five successful  Application Rounds of the Geothermal Risk Mitigation Facility (GRMF) with 30 awarded projects, the Regional Geothermal Coordination Unit (RGCU) of the African Union Commission (AUC) is currently assessing the potential of a scope extension. Therefore, the RGCU would like to gather market information both for the financing situation from the exploration phase up to the power plant operation, and for direct-use projects in East Africa.

The results of this survey will form the informational base for the discussions with the relevant financing institutions and donors, in order to develop further financial instruments for the advanced project phases, and to assess the potential financial support for direct-use projects.

Please fill the survey form until 12 February 2020 on the following link:

https://survey.roedl.com/limesurvey/index.php/412455

Feel free to contact the GRMF team via the website www.grmf-eastafrica.org. The survey will take approx. 15-20 minutes (depending on your internet connectivity).

Once the survey and the internal discussions are finalized, all stakeholders (including participants of this survey) as well as relevant media will be informed accordingly.

Many thanks in advance for your cooperation and contribution to this next development stage of GRMF.

USA: Washington DC.: GRC ED Boosts Geothermal at National Energy Conference

Video – GRC Executive Director Talks About Geothermal at U.S. Energy Association Forum (C-Span)

Will Pettitt, Executive Director of the Geothermal Resources Council (GRC)  represented the geothermal community at the 16th Annual State of the Energy Industry Forum, hosted by the U.S. Energy Association (USEA) on Thursday, January 23, 2020 at the National Press Club, Washington, DC, USA.

(Video 23:34 Minutes)

Quebec will officially extend euthanasia to include psychiatric conditions.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

An article by Sidhartha Banerjee, for the Canadian Press reports that the Québec government has officially decided to extend euthanasia to people with mental illness. The article reports:

Health Minister Danielle McCann told a news conference Tuesday that people with mental health issues who aren’t responding to treatment would be able to ask for the procedure — but she stressed such cases would be exceptional.

Before euthanasia (MAID) was legalized in Canada, the Québec Health Minister predicted that there would be about 100 lethal injection deaths per year. In 2019 there were approximately 5000 euthanasia deaths in Canada and there have been 13,000 since legalization.


The Québec College of Physicians is suggesting that euthanasia for mental conditions will be rare. Banerjee reported:

“We don’t expect many of these patients will qualify, because one of the other criteria that remains is to suffer from a disease that is not curable, which is not necessarily the case of all mental health situations,” said Dr. Yves Robert, the college’s secretary. “It will really be an individual, case-by-case decision that will be done.”

The decision of the Québec Health Minister is based on the September Québec lower court decision that struck down the “terminal illness” requirement in the euthanasia law. Since the law permits euthanasia for physical or psychological suffering, by removing the “terminal illness” requirement people with psychological suffering, who are not terminally ill qualify for euthanasia.

*Article: Quebec court expands Canada’s euthanasia law by striking the terminal illness requirement. Euthanasia for psychological reasons is next (Link).

Dr Mark Komrad

Psychiatric professor Dr. Mark Komrad, commented on the Québec decision by warning American psychiatrists of his concerns:

Every nation that legalized these procedures has gradually expanded the criteria, according to the dictates of cherished values like fairness, parity, and related values that make it very difficult to deny these procedures to those just beyond whatever line has been drawn. And so it creeps. We in the US, need to be prepared that this mission creep is our future with the growing metastases of assisted suicide laws in many states. In fact, it was both to signal to other nations, and to prepare here in the US for the slippery slope reaching our psychiatric patients, that we passed our APA position statement. 

*Video: Why psychiatrists should oppose euthanasia (Link). 

I just want to remind you of the official position of the American Psychiatric Association:
The American Psychiatric Association, in concert with the American Medical Association’s position on euthanasia, holds that a psychiatrist should not prescribe or administer any intervention to a non-terminally ill person for the purpose of causing death.

The only way to stop the expansion of assisted death in the United States and other countries is by not legalizing it in the first place.


The euthanasia floodgates have opened in Canada. Based on fairness and “equality” the control of euthanasia for psychiatric conditions will be porous at best. Doctors won’t deny euthanasia to one person when another person was lethally injected for the same or similar condition.

Canada’s euthanasia law is not designed to be controlled. The approval procedure is designed to protect physicians from any prospect of being prosecuted and it uses a self-reporting system, whereby a physician who approves the death, can be the physician who carries out the death, and then be the same physician who reports the death. This system offers no effective oversight of the law and no prospect for control.

The question is, how can we put the genie back in the bottle?

Popular articles opposing euthanasia and assisted suicide.

1. Sick Kids Hospital Toronto will euthanize children with or without parental consent – Oct 10, 2018.

2. Paediatric Palliative Care Symposium and child euthanasia – February 26, 2018.

3. Declaration of Hope – Jan 1, 2016.

4. Fatal Flaws film will change the way you view assisted death – June 8, 2018.

5. Guide to answering the Canadian MAID consultation questionnaire – Jan 15, 2020.

6. Margaret Dore: Assisted Suicide: A Recipe for Elder Abuse and the Illusion of Personal Choice – Feb 17, 2011.

7. Kitty Holman: 5 reasons why people devalue the elderly – May 25, 2010.

8. Healthy 24-year-old Belgian woman who was approved for euthanasia, will live. Nov 12, 2015.

9. Kate Kelly: Mild stroke led to mother’s forced death by dehydration – Sept 27, 2011.

10.  The Euthanasia Deception documentary. – Sept 30, 2016.

11. Healthy 24 year old Belgian woman was scheduled for euthanasia – June 24, 2015.

12. Boycott Me Before You – “disability death porn” – May 26, 2016.

13. Depressed Belgian woman dies by Euthanasia – Feb 6, 2013.

14. Legalizing euthanasia saves money. Jan 23, 2017.

15. Dr’s Annette Hanson & Ronald Pies: 12 Myths about Assisted Suicide and Medical Aid in Dying. July 9, 2018.

16. Physically healthy 23-year-old Belgian woman is being considered for euthanasia – October 14, 2019.

17.  Euthanasia is out-of-control in the Netherlands – Sept 25, 2012.

18. Belgian twins euthanized out of fear of blindness. – Jan 14, 2013.

19. Netherlands euthanasia review committee: euthanasia done on a woman with dementia was done in “good faith” –  Jan 28, 2017.

20. Mother upset after doctor urged her to approve assisted death for her daughter with disabilities – July 26, 2017.

21. Assisted suicide law prompts insurance company to deny coverage to terminally ill woman – Oct 20, 2016. 

22. Judge upheld decision. Assisted suicide is prohibited in California. May 31, 2018.

23. Woman dies by euthanasia, may only have had a bladder infection – Nov 14, 2016.

 24. Woman with Anorexia Nervosa dies by euthanasia in Belgium – Feb 10, 2013.

25. New Mexico assisted suicide bill is the most extreme bill – Dec 21, 2018.

26. 29-year-old healthy Dutch woman died by assisted death for psychiatric reasons. Jan 15, 2018. 

Become a member of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition ($25) membership.


More important articles:

USA, California: GRC Board Member to Give Presentation on Geothermal Heat Pumps

Geothermal Heat Pumps for Building Decarbonization – A Gridworks Happy Hour

Greetings Friends,
You're invited to the next Gridworks Happy Hour!
On Thursday Jan 23rd, we will be hosting a Happy Hour and community discussion about Geothermal Heat Pumps and their expanding role in the building decarbonizing. This informal opportunity to consider new approaches for CO2 reductions in the building energy sector will be held on:
  • Date: Thursday January 23, 2020
  • Time: 4:30 – 6:00 pm
The speaker/facilitator is Kevin Kitz, a member of the Board of Directors of the Geothermal Resources Council in Davis, and a 35 year professional in the geothermal industry. The goal of the session will be to exchange ideas on achieving the mass deployment of Geothermal Heat Pumps (“GHP” aka, passive geothermal energy).
There will be both a presentation of ideas and the community discussion. Topics will include:
  1. Economy of Scale as the key barrier to GHP deployment
  2. Hybrid systems of Air Source Heat Pumps and GHPs as a way to reduce capital cost and time shift grid loads in both heating and cooling
  3. Rate-base of geothermal ground loops for commercial and/or residential systems
  4. Ideas on how to evaluate GHP in a utility model.
    We look forward to seeing you there, and to starting a conversation that can lead to new inspiration and further evaluation of policies, opportunities, and projects.

    Read more »

    USA, Washington D.C.: Geothermal Resources Council Presents at State of the Energy Industry Forum

    GRC Executive Director at USEA State of the Energy Industry Forum

    USA, California: Sacramento Area Utility Plans for 180 MW Geothermal by 2040

    New year, new clean energy goals (News Release)

    Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD)’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP)—which serves as the roadmap for how it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions—has been adopted by the California Energy Commission and lauded for lowering greenhouse gas emissions in the Sacramento region while maintaining affordable rates and reliability.

    SMUD’s IRP was adopted by its Board of Directors in October 2018. The plan meets or exceeds state carbon reduction goals by committing to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. Guided by the IRP, SMUD will fully offset its carbon emissions by 2040, equal to net zero carbon emissions, five years ahead of the state mandate.

    Currently, on average, more than 50 percent of SMUD’s power mix is carbon free, and SMUD will continue to pursue expanding its diversified renewable portfolio to meet or exceed state mandates for renewable energy and carbon reductions.

    With a focus on local renewables, the plan includes 180 MW of geothermal by 2040.

    Read More……….

    The SMUD IRP has the following comments on geothermal energy:

    Read more »

    Portugal: Geothermal District Heating Network Proposed for Town of Chaves

    Chaves vai usar calor da água termal para aquecer edifícios e potenciar descarbonização – Chaves will use geothermal energy to heat buildings and enhance decarbonization (SAPO lifestyle)

    A Câmara de Chaves vai criar uma minirrede de geotermia através de um projeto-piloto que irá utilizar o calor da água termal para aquecer edifícios e, assim, promover a descarbonização, adiantou hoje à Lusa o presidente.

    Nuno Vaz explicou que a rede irá servir 25 edifícios públicos e privados, que serão fornecidos com calor através da geotermia, graças ao aproveitamento da água termal que nasce no concelho entre os 66 e os 77 graus centígrados.

    (From Google Translate) The Chaves City Council is going to create a geothermal mini network through a pilot project that will use the thermal water heat to heat buildings and, thus, promote decarbonization, the president told Lusa today.

    Nuno Vaz explained that the network will serve 25 public and private buildings, which will be supplied with heat through geothermal heat, thanks to the use of the thermal water that rises up to the municipality at between 66 and 77 degrees centigrade.

    Consulte Mais informação……….                              Read More……….

    USA, Alaska: New Legislation Would Extend Period for Geothermal Exploration to Five Years

    Governor introduces ‘Open for Business’ legislation (KTVA)

    Gov. Mike Dunleavy
    Gov. Mike Dunleavy brought forward bills to the Senate on Wednesday to keep his promise of “making Alaska open for business.” The bills would remove roadblocks and promote resource development.
    According to the governor’s office, the “Open for Business” legislation includes SB 161 would promote the exploration and development for the state’s geothermal resources. It would allow more time for resource explorers more time to research, get permits and do fieldwork by increasing the exploration period from three years to five. 
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