European Parliament committee votes in favor of geothermal report

51 out of 53 members of the European Parliament’s Industry, Energy and Research Committee (ITRE) voted in favour of the Own Initiative Report on geothermal energy which highlights the most effective means to accelerate the deployment of geothermal technologies across the EU.

The outcome of the vote demonstrates full political convergence on the need for a European approach to geothermal energy to help cities, industry and households switch to renewable baseload electricity, heating and cooling.

The own-initiative report presents the following points:

A call to the European Commission to outline a European strategy for geothermal energy;
The need for electricity and gas distribution system operators to include geothermal in their planning and investments in local energy infrastructure;
A harmonised financial risk mitigation framework;
Targeted support assistance and just transition regions to invest in local geothermal solutions;
Better access, harmonisation and presentation of geological data;
A harmonised approach to the legal basis for geothermal in national mining legislation.

The baton now passes to the European Commission to develop a strategy to maximise geothermal solutions for the benefit of European energy security.