Czech Republic lags in geothermal energy use; first power plants could be built by 2030

The Czech Republic currently lags behind the rest of Europe in the use of geothermal energy, which comes from heat generated by the Earth’s core. While several dozen geothermal power plants have been built elsewhere in Europe over the past ten years, bringing the continent’s total to 139, the Czech Republic still has none. Under current plans, around five geothermal power plants and ten geothermal heating plants could be built in the Czech Republic by 2030. This is according to data from the industry website geotermie.cz.

The Ministry of the Environment is now preparing a strategy for the future use of geothermal energy in the Czech Republic, according to the website. So far, geothermal energy in the country has been used mainly in heat pumps at family homes and industrial buildings. Larger projects include heating swimming pools and the zoo in Ústí nad Labem, as well as a heating plant in Děčín.

Geothermal energy will become increasingly important in the future, particularly as the shift towards renewable energy sources gathers pace, according to Jan Holeček of the Czech Geological Survey. “We will have several dozen geothermal heating plants capable of heating small and medium-sized towns. I see the greatest potential in so-called shallow geothermal energy—that is, in heat pumps capable of heating buildings ranging from family homes to office buildings, and potentially factories and industrial halls,” he said. The first ten heating plants could be built by 2030, he added.

Maps compiled as part of a joint project by the Czech Geological Survey, the Institute of Geophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences and the Chamber of Renewable Energy Sources show that the greatest potential for geothermal energy use is in northern Moravia, the Semily and Liberec areas, the foothills of the Ore Mountains, the Aš area and the České Budějovice area. According to industry representatives, the identified potential in the Czech Republic is roughly in line with the European average.

The government plans to make use of geothermal energy in the future. Environment Minister Petr Hladík (KDU-ČSL) is currently preparing a strategy that the government is expected to discuss in the first half of the year, according to geotermie.cz. He wants to use geothermal energy particularly for centralised heat production, where it could typically replace local coal-fired sources with a capacity of up to five megawatts.

The United States currently has the highest geothermal energy output, at 3.6 GW. In Europe, Turkey has the largest installed capacity of geothermal power plants, at 1.69 GW, according to the European Geothermal Energy Council. Italy follows with 916 MW and Iceland with 754 MW.

Geothermal energy uses hot water from underground, where it can be found, for example, in rocks with sufficient pores or fractures. Industry representatives say it is also possible to inject water underground and, after it has been heated by the surrounding rocks, pump it back to the surface.