Following on from the European Union’s commitments to phase out energy imports from Russia, make energy affordable, boost industrial competitiveness, improve energy security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC) insists that the European Commission must present an investment-orientated strategy and action plan to accelerate the deployment of all geothermal energy solutions. EGEC calls on the European Commission to publish a dedicated European Geothermal Strategy and Action Plan in the first quarter of 2026. This echoes requests made by EU Energy Ministers (see the TTE Council Conclusions of 16 December 2024) and also by the European Parliament (Resolution on geothermal energy, adopted on 18 January 2024). Indeed, the European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen, has already confirmed (on 14 March 2025) that the Commission will present "an action plan on geothermal energy" before the end of March 2026. According to EGEC, the Commission’s proposal must include the following elements: An EU-wide target to reach 250 GW of geothermal capacity by 2040 covering all technologies. This will build on the 44 GW of installed capacity in the EU. A European Geothermal Charter, which codifies the 2040 target and launches the Geothermal Industrial Alliance to manage its delivery. Targeted European financial instruments to leverage private capital. Measures to make permitting processes more efficient and faster, as well as improving access to geological data. Sectoral or tripartite agreements with key energy consumers. Peer-to-peer guidance to help governments develop national and regional roadmaps to remove barriers, accelerate investments and build local supply chains. European instruments to support value chain development in local manufacturing and skilled professionals. The inclusion of geothermal energy as a central pillar of the EU’s Global Gateway and the Global Energy Transition Forum. Improvements to the collection and presentation of market data and statistics to enable better energy modelling. EGEC’s proposals are set out in a new policy document:The European Geothermal Strategy and Action Plan - Making Europe competitive, secure and affordable Watch EGEC's webinar on the launch of its recommendations for the EU Geothermal Strategy and Action Plan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxUUaWHfuM8
EGEC Geothermal reaction to the launch of the Just Transition Mechanism proposal
On the 17th of December 2019, the European Parliament reached an agreement with the Council on the new criteria to determine whether an economic activity is environmentally sustainable – the so-called the “Taxonomy Regulation”. EGEC welcomes the positive outcome of this legislation, as it will play a crucial role in helping to redirect the necessary funding to investments in sustainable energy sectors.
On 11 December 2019 the European Commission presented the European Green Deal. Europe is aiming to become the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050 and the proposed Green Deal outlines the policy framework that will be applied to achieve this goal.
Developing competitive value-chains in a mission-orientated EU industrial strategy must be a central goal of the European Green Deal. Priority should be given to activities that provide multiple benefits such as increased investment in deep geothermal energy production and geothermal lithium plants.
The Italian news outlet “Sette24 Europa” recently interviewed EGEC Secretary General Philippe Dumas in the European Parliament on the potential of geothermal energy and the many opportunities offered by this clean source of energy in terms of sustainability, jobs, and societal change.
Shallow geothermal energy represents a well-developed, non-volatile and clean technology for providing efficient heating and cooling across Europe. It is often associated with the use of ground source heat pumps but offers a wide range of applications such as geo-cooling or seasonal heat storage.
On 23 September 2019, a workshop has been organised in Brussels in order to discuss the place of the geothermal sector in the Innovation Fund.
Shallow geothermal energy represents a well-developed, non-volatile and clean technology for providing efficient heating and cooling across Europe. It is often associated with the use of ground source heat pumps but offers a wide range of applications such as geo-cooling or seasonal heat storage.
EGEC is the voice of the geothermal sector in Europe. It’s an international industry association with more than 120 members, representing 500 stakeholders from 22 different European countries. Geothermal is an essential renewable energy solution which helps tackle the climate crisis by providing safe, secure and reliable heat, cooling and electricity services.
— WEBINAR —
GEOTHERMAL RISK ASSESSMENT AND DE-RISKING TOOLS
Thursday 26/09/2019 | 11:00 – 12:00 CET
The market for geothermal energy in Europe has enjoyed significant growth for the past 5 years. Today, there are nearly 300 geothermal district heating systems in operation in Europe, with a total installed capacity of about 5 GWth. Total installed power capacity is now more than 3 GWe.
The power sector has doubled its capacity in 6 years. Meanwhile, the shallow geothermal sector is displaying continuous growth, approaching the threshold of 2 million units installed..
