European Parliament wants to accelerate the development and use of geothermal energy

A resolution adopted by EU lawmakers calls for a European strategy to accelerate the deployment of geothermal energy and investment in it. According to the resolution adopted by the European Parliament last week, complex national regulations and lengthy permitting processes are slowing the development of geothermal energy.

Geothermal resources can provide stable energy supplies compared with most other renewable sources. Unlike other renewable technologies, geothermal facilities also do not require critical raw materials such as rare earths, which are in short supply in Europe.

Geothermal energy is also listed as a strategic clean technology under the Net-Zero Industry Act, alongside solar panels, wind farms and heat pumps.

District heating

The Danish company Innargi is one of the firms specialising in the financing, development, construction and operation of large geothermal facilities for district heating networks.

It is currently building the largest geothermal district heating facility in Europe in the Danish city of Aarhus. Once completed, the project will supply around a fifth of the city with heat from renewable sources.

"Decarbonising heating through district heating and geothermal energy should be one of the key items on the agenda of the next European Parliament and European Commission," Innargi said.

Geothermal energy strategy

The European Parliament resolution now calls for a European strategy for geothermal energy, starting with the mapping of geothermal resources across the EU. The aim is to ensure that all data on the geothermal subsurface are collected in one place and made publicly available, Euractiv reports.

A report by Polish lawmaker Zdzisław Krasnodębski, on behalf of the ECR group, was adopted by an overwhelming majority at the Parliament’s plenary session on 18 January (531 votes in favour and 2 against). It calls for the creation of an industrial alliance for geothermal energy and the introduction of a harmonised insurance system to mitigate financial risks in the sector.

"These risks associated with subsurface resources and the related financial costs represent one of the main obstacles for geothermal project developers," Krasnodębski said in an explanatory note published alongside the report.

National strategies

The report calls on EU member states to develop national geothermal energy strategies, following the example of France, Poland and Ireland. These countries have developed specific policy measures to support this renewable energy source.

"Government policies that reduce risks are therefore essential to encourage financial investment from the private sector," Krasnodębski added.

Finally, the resolution calls for further support for regions that are economically dependent on fossil fuels so that they can transition to geothermal energy.

"Geothermal energy is essential not only for the energy transition, but also for a just transition," the report states, adding that "the potential to develop geothermal energy using infrastructure previously used by the hydrocarbon industry has not yet been fully exploited by member states".

The European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC), a trade association, welcomed the Parliament’s resolution, saying it had helped put geothermal energy on the EU policy agenda. "The European Commission cannot ignore such strong support," the association said.