Jack Kiruja

Energy Policy Development

• Developing Abu Dhabi’s Energy Policy Framework, aligning with the Climate Change objectives for the energy sector.
• Reviewing existing and planned policy initiatives across the electricity, water supply, wastewater, district cooling, and petroleum products sectors in Abu Dhabi, and evaluating their performance against similar initiatives in other jurisdictions.
• Engaging with stakeholders in Abu Dhabi energy sector, to identify existing policy gaps and recommending enablers aligned with global best practices, to drive the Emirate towards a low-carbon future.
• Developing a governance mechanism for a set of policy initiatives, including identifying relevant stakeholders and defining their roles and responsibilities, developing SMART KPIs to measure performance, as well as a period review mechanism to assess impact and recommend appropriate actions.
• Developing Statements of Need, Policy Design & Appraisal and Policy Statements for new envisaged initiatives of policy nature.

Business Development and Stakeholder Engagement

• Spearheading the establishment of a geothermal advisory stream within the WSP Middle East office to support geothermal energy deployment.
• Leading business development efforts for the “Energy Policies and Strategies” advisory stream, maintaining close communication with clients and addressing emerging issues in ongoing assignments.

Key Achievements:

• Developed a comprehensive energy policy framework for Abu Dhabi’s Energy Sector.

Programme Management

• Coordinated a global multistakeholder platform with 55 member countries and 59 partner institutions, aimed at supporting countries to develop enabling frameworks for enhancing geothermal energy development globally.
• Facilitated and coordinated various strategic initiatives within IRENA including programmes to promote the deploying of renewable energy in the end-use sectors such as district heating/cooling and agri-food value chains in various regions including East Africa, China, Southeast Europe and Latin America.
• Led the development of policy reports and technical guidebooks to empower decision-makers with evidence-based knowledge on global best practices to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy solutions.
• Engaged with governments, international organizations, and private-sector stakeholders to promote the establishment of enabling frameworks for renewable energy investments, including exploring appropriate financing and risk mitigation mechanisms, conducive policies, and regulations.
• Organized and moderated high-level meetings, annual conferences, and technical workshops, facilitating dialogue and knowledge sharing among policy makers across multiple countries and regions on measures to accelerate deployment of renewable energy.

Key Achievements:

• Developed seven significant publications over five years, contributing to the growth of renewable energy awareness among policymakers.
• Organized over 15 events globally consisting of high-level meeting, stakeholder meetings and technical workshops to share best practices for accelerating renewable energy deployment.

Strategy Development

• Contributed to defining and executing the vision for Kenya’s “Geothermal Direct Use Development Strategy”, consisting of project identification and feasibility assessments, capacity building and commercialisation of direct use initiatives.
• Contributed to the development of a strategy and roadmap for realising 3 flagship geothermal projects in Kenya. Key elements of the strategy included financing options, local community engagement, communication strategy, capacity building, and timelines for key milestones.

Project management

• Participated in geothermal resource mapping projects across Kenya, providing essential technical support for exploratory studies and assessments.
• Managed multiple geothermal projects from conceptual design through feasibility assessments, procurement, and execution, ensuring successful delivery and operation.
• Led efforts to commercialize geothermal direct use applications, including heated greenhouses, aquaculture units, and industrial heating solutions.

Key Achievements:

• Successfully led the implementation of the Geothermal Direct Use Development Strategy, resulting in the establishment of a geothermal direct use demonstration project consisting of five innovative applications.
• The Strategy and Roadmap for the 3 flagship geothermal projects resulted in the development of 105 MW geothermal projects in Kenya.

• Researched strategies for pricing geothermal heat to guide the development of a tariff for district heating/cooling.