Among the standout moments of the evening was the recognition of Ms. Laura Chepkonga, who emerged as the overall winner for the Most Outstanding Innovative Idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her award-winning research focused on the use of thermophilic cyanobacteria from geothermal environments to support sustainable agriculture, one of the conference’s most unique and widely discussed innovations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The microorganisms thrive in extreme geothermal conditions and possess biological adaptations capable of improving plant health, boosting crop yields and reducing dependence on chemical fertilisers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “It is truly an honour to stand here and receive this award. I am deeply grateful for this recognition, not just for myself, but for the work behind this project,” said Laura after receiving the award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the Project Update category, Sharon Chebet from the Community Relations Department emerged winner for her paper on restoration of livelihoods in Paka, a project that explored how geothermal development can coexist with thriving host communities through inclusion, compensation and sustainable social investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Senior Driller Abraham Kahemba was named first runner-up in the same category for his practical and solution-driven paper on drilling<\/a> PDC bits analysis for the Menengai Geothermal Project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His research focused on improving drilling<\/a> efficiency, reducing operational costs and enhancing geothermal well performance through improved drilling<\/a> technologies, innovations considered critical in accelerating geothermal development timelines and boosting operational productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n AI in Geothermal<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The highly competitive Case Study Research category showcased the growing influence of digital transformation in geothermal operations, with George Igunza emerging winner for GEOROCK AI, an Artificial Intelligence-powered platform designed to revolutionise geothermal resource<\/a> assessment and subsurface decision-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The innovation integrates machine learning and advanced geoscientific analytics to improve exploration accuracy, optimise reservoir management<\/a> and strengthen data-driven decision-making within geothermal operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Delegates and experts described the presentation as one of the conference’s most futuristic innovations with the potential to redefine geothermal exploration both locally and globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I believe AI will become a major pillar in the future of geothermal operations globally,” said Igunza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mr. Vincent Osango was named runner up in the category following another strong presentation that equally drew praise from researchers, scientists and delegates attending the conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The conference also celebrated excellence in scientific poster presentations, recognising emerging ideas with strong potential to shape the future of sustainable geothermal development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mr. David Basweti emerged winner in the category for his innovative research on geoscientific basalt<\/a> mapping for storage of carbon dioxide in the Paka Geothermal Field, a concept expected to significantly contribute towards carbon management, emissions reduction and environmental sustainability within geothermal operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mr. Patrick Oyugi and Ms. Irene Mboin were named first and second runners-up respectively after presenting equally compelling and forward-looking research concepts during the conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Download your copy of the Steam<\/a> Magazine Issue 18 here: https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Steam-Magazine-Issue-18.pdf<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The ballroom erupted in applause, cameras flashed across the hall and excitement filled the room as the 3rd GDC Geothermal Conference 2026 came to a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":2126,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,181],"tags":[10,100],"class_list":["post-2125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-steam","tag-gdc","tag-geothermal-development-company"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2125","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2125"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2125\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2130,"href":"https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2125\/revisions\/2130"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.gdc.co.ke\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/1000572530-1536x1023-1-1024x682.jpg\")
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