The voice of geothermal
in Europe

The Hague, 13 June 2019 – The new board of the European Geothermal Energy Council was elected at the European Geothermal Congress yesterday. The new board is comprised of: President: Miklos Antics (GPC IP) Vice President: Marco Baresi (Turboden) Vice president: Javier Urchueguia (Universidad Politécnica de Valencia) Board Member: Sara Montomoli (ENEL Green Power) Board Member: Robert Gavriliuc (Romanian Geoexchange Society) Board Member: Rüdiger Grimm  (Geoenergie Konzept GMBH) Treasurer: Attila Kujbus (Geothermal Express) The new president highlighted the importance of supporting geothermal as Europe transitions towards a greater penetration of renewables for both electricity, and heating and cooling.  “We have seen phenomenal market development since the creation of EGEC, reaching 3 GW of geothermal electricity, 300 geothermal district heating systems, and getting close to 2 million geothermal heat pumps. We need cooperation in the sector more than ever to build on this success and for geothermal to finally reach its potential,” said Miklos Antics, new President of EGEC. “Our association has grown consistently in the last 20 years thanks to the support of our members and I hope to build on the amazing work of my predecessors.” EGEC, the European Geothermal Energy Council, is a non-profit international organisation founded in 1998 to promote the European geothermal industry and enable its development both in Europe and worldwide, by shaping policy, improving business condition, and driving more research and development. Based in Brussels, we work with our members on policy, market intelligence, and communication, providing a link between the industry and European institutions. More than 100 members, including developers, equipment manufacturers, electricity providers, national associations, consultants, research centres, geological surveys, and public authorities, make EGEC a unique network, uniting and representing the entire geothermal sector.

The Hague, 11 June 2019 – The geothermal community meets in The Hague for the European Geothermal Congress 2019, to celebrate European excellency and to call for tailored tools to drive further geothermal deployment. More than 800 participants are joining the European Geothermal Congress this week. The event, organised by the European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC), in cooperation with Stichting Platform Geothermie, BodemenergieNL, and the main event sponsor Energie Beheer Nederland B.V. (EBN), brings together stakeholders from the entire geothermal community for sessions covering science, innovation and markets, an exhibition, courses, and side events. The Netherlands, a country that has made geothermal a corner stone of its energy transition, provides an excellent stage. The hosting city of The Hague, which aims to become carbon-neutral by 2040, has at least four geothermal heating plants planned to become operational in the city in the next five years. Liesbeth van Tongeren, Deputy Mayor of The Hague, said: “The Hague is committed to make the transition to clean energy, together with our citizens and companies. That’s why we are very proud to be the host city of the European Geothermal Congress, where experts can learn from each other how to use this clean energy source more efficiently. Geothermal is a clean energy source. In the next couple of years, around 15 geothermal wells can be added in and around the city, providing up to 100 000 households with clean and sustainable heat.” “We believe in geothermal energy and see it as a more than excellent alternatives to natural gas in the Netherlands,” said Jan Willem van Hoogstraten, CEO of the main sponsor EBN. “We believe that geothermal energy can help us to take big steps in the energy transition towards a sustainable energy system in the future.” Many other local, national, and international political and industrial leaders also opened the event on Tuesday morning describing how Europe is leading the world in innovation and scientific excellence. Miklos Antics, President of EGEC, welcomed participants at the Opening Ceremony: “Only when industry, policy makers, science and communities come together, we can develop the instruments for a more sustainable future.” Among the high-level speakers, Sandor Gaastra, the Director-General of Climate and Energy at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, presented the Dutch plan for the energy transition, stating that the adaptation of the policy framework is key to foster the transition to geothermal energy in an oil and gas country. Alexander Richter, President of the International Geothermal Association concluded the first session with a reminder of all the opportunities that geothermal can offer, not just for power and heat but for the benefit of businesses and communities. Frank Schoof, Chairman Stichting Platform Geothermie, represented the Dutch partners that gave support to the event: “Both deep and shallow geothermal can benefit from the exchange of experiences and expertise, and we are pleased that this event is taking place in The Netherlands.” Theodor Kockelkoren, Inspector General of Mines at State Supervision of Mines, discussed how engaging communities is key for the success of geothermal, and how important it is to explain to everyone, from residents to local authorities, businesses and drinking water companies, the reasons why drilling operations are taking place. Speeches from the industry concluded the opening. Eva Hoos, European Commission, presented the recast Renewable Energy Directive and the opportunities for geothermal. Andrea Magalini, Turboden, said “Turboden believes high temperature Large Heat Pumps associated with the geothermal resources are a renewable and efficient solution to provide carbon free heat to district heatings and industrial processes. Turboden, thanks to its 40 years experience in ORC systems, is well placed to be a leading supplier.” To conclude the morning, Peter de Vin, Operations Director of Huisman Geo said “We have very high ambition for geothermal in the Netherlands. Much more than we are currently achieving.”. At European level, the geothermal sector has recently seen some important milestones. Total installed geothermal electricity capacity is now more than 3 GWe, doubling in little over six years, and as of last year more than 300 geothermal district heating systems are in operation in Europe, in comparison with 187 in 2010. Around 2 million geothermal heat pump units are also in operation. These figures show that geothermal energy is increasingly used across Europe to meet energy needs in electricity production and in heating and cooling. Technological innovation allows for ever more diverse applications of geothermal energy, enabling new markets to tap into this renewable resource. Meanwhile, the uptake of mature geothermal technologies contributes to the decarbonisation of the European economy. The deployment of geothermal energy however remains far below the resource potential in Europe. Following the adoption by the European Union of a new framework for its climate and energy policy to 2030, European countries should look to the best practices to harness this energy source which can provide baseload, flexible energy for electricity and heating and cooling. The European Geothermal Congress takes place from 11-14th June 2019 at the World Forum, The Hague, in The Netherlands.

The EGEC Geothermal Market Report confirms the trend towards the steady growth observed in recent years, but also notes the need for greater recognition in order to enable the full deployment of geothermal energy in Europe.

In the process of the implementation of the Governance Regulation, which defines how the EU targets on climate and energy will be achieved by 2030, Member States have submitted draft National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs), in which they outline the level of ambition they would pursue in the coming decade, and the policies measure that should enable it.

The EIB’s energy lending criteria are the set of rules, revised regularly, which the Bank sets for its activities to be compliant with the European Union’s policy objectives.

EGEC co-signed a letter in the framework of the discussions on the objective of the European Union for the long-term energy transition.