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
The Steering Committee of the Deep Geothermal ETIP for the years 2017-2020 was elected on Thursday 16th February 2017 in Offenburg, Germany, during the General Assembly 2017. The Steering Committee is comprised of (in alphabetical order):
enOware GmbH received the European Geothermal Innovation Award 2017 during the opening session of GeoTHERM exhibition and Congress 2017 in Offenburg, Germany. The award was given for their miniaturised sensor which allows to professionally plan, monitor and measure near-surface geothermal probes.
The five endorsed nominations for this year’s European Geothermal Innovation Award are, in alphabetical order:
The FROnT project is presenting several new tools aimed at supporting consumers to make informed choices on available heating and cooling systems for their households or small enterprises. The tools, available online, will help end-users to assess the competitiveness of renewable energy technologies (biomass, solar thermal, air-source heat pumps, and ground-source heat pumps) against traditional fossil fuels, and to evaluate which renewable solution is a better fit for their needs.
The European Geothermal Energy Council gives a tepid welcome to the EU Commission’s proposals for the revision of the EU energy framework.
EGEC - AEBIOM - EHPA - ESTIF Press release
In the context of the worldwide paradigm shift in climate change, the EU has a unique opportunity to reposition itself as the world leader in climate action. Despite steps to increase the share of renewables in the heating sector, the Commission proposal does not remove the regulatory loopholes supporting new fossil fuel installations.
The FROnT project is publishing today a paper with strategic policy recommendations to support the deployment of renewable heating and cooling technologies (RES-HC). It starts with analysing the main barriers that are currently hampering the deployment of renewable heating and cooling technologies and proposes a set of policy recommendations for EU, national and local policy-makers to overcome these barriers.
The heating and cooling sector represents almost 50% of our energy consumption and is therefore key to decarbonise our entire energy system. RES-HC such as geothermal, solar thermal, biomass and heat pumps are today mature and available options to replace fossil fuels. However, important barriers remain, and multiple policy instruments are necessary for addressing the impediments that are preventing the uptake of renewable energy technologies.
On Wednesday 8 November 2016, EGEC Secretary General Philippe Dumas and the Europe's RES industry met with Commissioner Cañete to discuss the Winter Package and bring forward the post-2020 framework for RES electricity and Heating and Cooling in Europe.
The International Geothermal Association (IGA) has recently held its Board Meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on October 31st 2016, and appointed Alexander Richter as its new President.
