GEOPLAT and GEOENERGÍA join the petition addressed to the European Commission to prioritise a strategy for geothermal energy

GEOPLAT and GEOENERGÍA have joined the international petition, led by the European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC Geothermal), calling on the European Commission for a European strategy and action plan for geothermal energy.

In a letter addressed to President Ursula von der Leyen, different entities of the European geothermal sector have made it clear that ‘although the sector continues to grow every year, this growth is far below its potential and the requirements of the binding objective of climate neutrality of the European Union’ between now and 2050. This puts European competitiveness, security and prosperity at risk and a correction is urgently needed.

The European Commission is therefore called upon to prioritise a European geothermal strategy and an action plan for its implementation by Member States and industry, based on the following central points:

A target of 250 GWs of geothermal energy by 2040 in electricity; heating and cooling (district heating and cooling systems, networked geothermal and standalone geothermal heat pumps); for use in public, residential and commercial buildings; agriculture; electricity generation, transport and manufacturing sectors
Harmonisation and development of new support schemes including cross-border financial risk guarantees;
Endorsement of the Geothermal Industrial Alliance
Accessibility of energy demand and geological data
Skilling workers, municipal network planners and permitting agencies
Strengthening innovation and leadership of our domestic manufacturing industry

Geothermal energy, a key to European decarbonisation

The European Geothermal Energy Council recognises the political will for a joint approach to geothermal energy. One of the advances was the almost unanimous vote of the European Parliament and the European Committee of the Regions in favour of a European strategy on geothermal energy at the beginning of 2024, with the aim of making it easier for sectors in all countries to benefit from this local renewable energy resource, which is fundamental for European decarbonisation.

It is also recommended that the Commissioners responsible for Energy, Climate, Agriculture, Sustainable Industry and Regions be mandated to develop geothermal energy in their portfolios, thus ensuring a holistic approach to this strategy.

In this line, last May GEOPLAT launched its spin-off: the Spanish Geothermal Association, GEOENERGÍA, which was created with the mission of being the voice of the geothermal sector in Spain and working for the development of the sector as a whole by promoting a regulatory, political and social framework that favours the sustainable implementation of geothermal energy in the territories, creating industry and contributing environmental and socioeconomic value.

Geotermia