EU Climate and energy framework

EGEC views on the EU Critical Raw Materials Act   EGEC, the voice of the European geothermal industry, is a not-for-profit association representing the entire value-chain of the industry across 28 countries. It is included on the European Transparency Register number: 11458103335-07. Further information can be found at www.egec.org. We welcome the opportunity to respond to the consultation on the EU Critical Raw Materials Act consultation. Our observations and recommendations are:

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In a bid to accelerate renewable energy deployment, the European Commission is looking at means to accelerate permitting processes.

At the beginning of summer 2021, gas prices started increasing tremendously globally due to a wide array of factors, from an exceptionally cold winter in Europe in 2020, to macroeconomic fallouts of the COVID 19 pandemic, without mentioning geopolitics, to technical issues in infrastructure bottlenecks of the fossil fuel production infrastructure.

The geothermal sector needs you. It is vital to get the European Commission's regulatory, financial and political support behind the geothermal sector. This will allow it to identify and rectify regulatory and fiscal roadblocks to mass deployment of geothermal energy including sustainable mineral extraction.

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Geothermal heating, cooling, permanent electricity supply, underground thermal storage, and sustainable lithium extraction are critical solutions to meeting the EU’s 2030 and 2050 targets to avert the climate crisis.

Geothermal heating, cooling, permanent electricity supply, underground thermal storage and sustainable lithium extraction are critical contributors to energy efficiency improvements and the achievement of the EU’s 2030 and 2050 targets for energy efficiency and climate change mitigation.

Brussels, 15 December 2021 – Today the European Commission has released its proposals for establishing a new EU framework to decarbonise gas markets, promote hydrogen and reduce methane emissions.

The EPBD revision should apply the Energy Efficiency First (EE1st) principle in a way that stimulates integrated renovations aiming at highly energy efficient, renewable-based and flexible buildings integrated in the increasingly variable energy system. The entire building stock should become capable of adjusting their very low energy consumption, their on-site renewable generation and their energy storage potential in response to external signals. This holistic approachto the implementation of the EE1st principle leads to multiple benefits such as emissions reductions, grid optimisation and system efficiency. It also delivers tangible benefits to citizens, including the most vulnerable ones, strengthens the EU’s clean energy industrial leadership, boosts local job creation and economic recovery.   Download the full joint letter