The EU Council approved conclusions Monday on promoting geothermal energy, a long-lasting and always available renewable source that does not depend on weather events.
The Council’s conclusions highlight the potential of geothermal energy – energy generated from the natural heat of the earth’s interior – as a local renewable energy source that can provide around-the-clock electricity generation and heat production.
Geothermal energy can be used for affordable and secure heating and cooling, and it can provide a stable supply of electricity. It can consequently decarbonise the energy consumption of buildings and make industries more competitive and sustainable.
As the energy source is continuous, geothermal power plants can operate at their maximum capacity throughout the day and year. Moreover, with an incentivising framework, geothermal energy could become an important dispatchable source of low-emissions electricity that could contribute to the flexibility and resilience of the electricity network.
Despite the benefits of geothermal energy and its role in the decarbonisation of the energy sector as a mature net-zero technology, the potential of geothermal energy remains untapped. Overall, geothermal energy made up only 2.8 % of renewable energy sources used for the production of primary energy in the EU in 2021. Today, geothermal meets less than 1 % of global energy demand. Further actions are needed to fully explore and utilise its potential.
The Council is calling for a faster deployment of geothermal energy by proposing or adapting measures for its promotion, including easier access to finance to address high upfront investment costs, as well as enhancing the workforce in the geothermal sector and strengthening cooperation in research on geothermal energy.
In its conclusions, the Council calls on the Commission to draw up a comprehensive strategy on the decarbonisation of heating and cooling – accompanied by a European geothermal action plan with concrete measures to accelerate the deployment of geothermal energy.
The Council calls on the member states to streamline their rules to make geothermal energy easier to use, and also issue permits faster. One of the proposed actions for member states is facilitating projects which reconvert underground fossil facilities in order to use them for geothermal energy. In line with the just transition objectives, dedicated retraining programmes could be set up to develop a skilled workforce for the emerging geothermal industry.
The conclusions propose measures to increase the capacity of European industries in drilling, construction and equipment manufacturing. They also foresee a European Geothermal Alliance, to be set up by the Commission, that would bring together policymakers, industry and investors to spot bottlenecks and actions for a greater deployment of geothermal energy.
Conclusions on the promotion of geothermal energy, 16 December 2024
