Press Release

EGEC, together with 62 other businesses, associations, think tanks and civil society organisations, urge the European Commission to maintain and strengthen a horizontal spending target for climate and environmental investments in the next long-term EU budget. The debate on the shape of the EU budget for 2028-2034 (also known as the Multiannual Financial Framework or MFF) will determine Europe's ability to channel investments in jobs, sustainable growth and competitiveness. Simply put, green investments: Strengthen Europe’s long-term resilience and competitiveness by funding projects that drive the clean industrial transition Drive business innovation across the EU, and attract private capital and talent from around the world Enhance long-term prosperity, employment, and working conditions Have a higher return than non-green expenditure, yielding faster, more sustainable growth The 30% climate spending target has already enabled over 11,000 green projects, from renewable energy infrastructure to circular economy and low-carbon transport. Dismantling this benchmark now would reverse hard-won progress and undermine Europe's competitiveness, climate goals, and energy resilience. We call on President Ursula von der Leyen and the European Commission leadership to make the next MFF a budget fit for a competitive, energy-secure and climate-neutral EU. READ THE LETTER  

Brussels, 2 July 2025 – The European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC) is concerned by the proposal to weaken the 90% greenhouse gas emission reduction target for 2040 by introducing international and domestic offsets. This will divert urgently needed investment in the EU’s energy, transport, building and agriculture sectors. Furthermore, the climate target alone does not drive investments in Europe. The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Directives do. The 2040 energy framework, and the European Geothermal Action Plan, which is to be launched in Q1 2026, are essential for building energy security and providing affordable energy for all. “The 2040 climate target will be impossible to achieve without the mass deployment of geothermal energy,” said Philippe Dumas, Secretary-General of EGEC. Sanjeev Kumar, EGEC’s Policy Director, added: “With the inclusion of international and internal offsets, the 2040 energy and geothermal frameworks become even more important as they are the only measure to attract inward investment in local energy resources, jobs and competitiveness as well as shielding Europe from high and volatile energy prices.”   READ THE FULL PRESS RELEASE

The European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC) welcomes the European Commission’s Communication, 'Roadmap towards ending Russian energy imports', as a much-needed strategic initiative to ensure Europe’s energy sovereignty, resilience, and climate neutrality. EGEC strongly supports the Commission’s approach towards ending Europe’s dependence on Russian oil and gas by enhancing energy efficiency and accelerating the deployment of renewable energy. The geothermal sector stands ready to play a central role in this transition. Geothermal energy is a scalable, homegrown solution that can rapidly contribute to reducing fossil fuel imports. Accelerating the deployment of geothermal heat pumps and geothermal DHC (district heating and cooling), alongside geothermal electricity generation, could enable the European Union to reduce its annual gas consumption by more than 25 billion cubic metres by the end of 2027. In order to deliver its objectives, the Commission’s roadmap must be backed by firm implementation measures that will drive the decarbonization of Europe’s electricity and heating and cooling sectors, and unlock geothermal’s full potential to deliver clean, affordable, and secure energy: A fair and competitive heat market, allowing geothermal — the most affordable and locally sourced energy — to supply industry, businesses and residential buildings; A Geothermal Action Plan and a Geothermal Industrial Alliance to deploy better financial tools, enable risk-sharing instruments, improve access to infrastructure, and simplify permitting procedures across the EU. “Geothermal energy can provide Europe with abundant, affordable, and clean power, heating and cooling,” said Philippe Dumas, Secretary-General of EGEC. “But we need a level playing field in the heat market and immediate action to deliver on this roadmap’s ambition.” Sanjeev Kumar, EGEC’s Policy Director, added: “Without a dedicated Geothermal Action Plan and a European Geothermal Industrial Alliance, the Commission’s roadmap risks falling short. Geothermal is not just a climate solution — it is also a sovereignty strategy that supports European industry.” READ THE FULL PRESS RELEASE

The European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC) welcomes eagerly awaited confirmation from the European Commission that the Geothermal Action Plan will be published in Q1 2026.[1] Dan Jørgensen, Commissioner for Energy and Housing, acknowledged, in a written response to a question from Davor Stier MEP[2], that ”geothermal energy has an important role to play in the decarbonisation of the EU’s energy system”. He added, “The potential of geothermal energy has been so far hindered by challenges related inter alia to planning, permitting, skills, financing and availability of data”.

Brussels, 26th February 2025 – The European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC) welcomes the recognition of the critical role of geothermal energy in the newly announced Action Plan for Affordable Energy. This ambitious plan is key to decreasing energy prices for citizens, businesses, and communities across the European Union. The plan correctly states that the “cost of inaction is higher than the cost of action’. The proposed measures, however, fall short of what is required to deliver the urgent and systemic change to Europe’s energy system especially for heating and cooling. We welcome the Action Plan’s call to “foster investment” in geothermal but are surprised by the lack of specific actions to deliver this outcome. “We are concerned that the Geothermal Action Plan was omitted from the Affordable Energy Action Plan,” said Philippe Dumas, EGEC’s Secretary-General. “This leaves a significant hole in the Action Plan,” he added. We agree on the need to complete the integration of our energy market to allow geothermal supply affordable energy to people and businesses. Energy ministers, the European Parliament, the Committee of Regions, the European Economic and Social Committee and even Dan Jorgensen, the Commissioner for Energy and Housing, committed to a geothermal action plan because it facilitates lower energy costs for industry, families and farmers, provides stability to the electricity system and accelerates strategic autonomy in raw material production. Sanjeev Kumar, EGEC’s Policy Director, added that “excluding geothermal from the tripartite agreements initiative is counter-productive”. Geothermal’s value chain is almost entirely European. It has been the leading component exporter of European renewable technologies. The industry and major consumers, such as cities, have been campaigning for a European financial guarantee derisking scheme for some time. The European Commission even commissioned the Investors Dialogue in Energy to design a European scheme. The business models outlined in the Action Plan’s tripartite agreements were central pillars of the Energy Council’s call in the Geothermal Action Plan. Furthermore, Dan Jorgensen stated these would be a key part of the geothermal action plan during his confirmation hearing in the European Parliament. Full Press Release

Brussels, 16th December 2024 – The European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC) is delighted with the Hungarian Presidency for initiating the proposal and to all Member States for adopting today the Council conclusions. These conclusions include clear actions to accelerate the deployment of geothermal energy in Europe. This recognition underscores the pivotal role of geothermal energy in driving Europe’s transition to a local, sustainable, resilient, and cost-effective energy system. “EGEC warmly welcomes the Council Conclusions agreed upon by Europe’s Energy Ministers today. Now, it is up to the European Commission to deliver,” said Philippe Dumas, Secretary General of EGEC. This marks an important step forward, following calls from the European Parliament (EP), the Committee of the Regions (CoR), and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) for the European Commission to prepare a dedicated European Geothermal Action Plan with concrete actions to deploy geothermal energy all over Europe. The conclusions recognise the key role geothermal must play to decarbonise buildings and industry. We are encouraged by the commitments made by the new Energy Commissioner during his recent commitment to prioritise this initiative. “The Geothermal Action Plan must facilitate investments in local jobs, growth, and reducing energy costs for families, offices, and industries,” added Sanjeev Kumar, EGEC Head of Policy. The Council calls for the Commission to set up a European Geothermal Alliance to bring together all key stakeholders to advance geothermal solutions in Europe. EGEC and its members stand ready to actively support the strategy’s implementation and contribute to building the robust alliance needed to drive geothermal forward. You can find the full conclusions here. Press Release Available

Brussels, 13th December 2024 – The European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC) welcomes the publication of the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) historic and ground-breaking report outlining geothermal’s role in improving energy security and economic resilience whilst addressing the climate crisis. Presented today by Dr Fatih Birol, IEA’s Executive Director stated: “Geothermal is a versatile (power and heat for homes and industry), clean and secured energy source. One of the most important features: it is around the clock”. This report highlights geothermal as unique and versatile renewable energy with vast potential for electricity generation, heating and cooling supply and allowing thermal storage, raw materials and mineral extraction, including lithium. It rests reassuringly below our feet, in homes, offices, and factories everywhere. With the right political visibility, improved financial and regulatory frameworks, it will become the foundation of the cheap, local, inclusive and rapid energy transition. “The IEA highlights the huge potential for geothermal. Now, it is the turn of the European Commission to make this a reality in Europe with its EU Geothermal strategy,” said Philippe Dumas, Secretary General of EGEC. “This historic moment marks the dawn of the geothermal age,” added Sanjeev Kumar, EGEC Head of Policy. With its unparalleled ability to provide reliable, low-carbon energy for electricity, heating, and cooling, geothermal energy holds immense promise for contributing to global decarbonization efforts and energy security. EGEC calls on policymakers, industry stakeholders, and financial institutions to act on the IEA’s recommendations and unlock the full potential of this versatile resource: “Move geothermal up the energy policy agenda by making geothermal energy more prominent in national energy planning”. The conclusion of the Report is that we need: immediate action on deploying geothermal everywhere.   Download the Press Release. Read the full report.  

Dan Jørgensen, the Commissioner-Designate for Energy and Housing, committed to European strategy for geothermal at his confirmation hearing in the European Parliament yesterday, November 5th, 2024.  He stressed that “Unfortunately that is an untapped resource” and that it can “definitely play a bigger role” in the heating of buildings. He agreed with the European Parliament’s resolution, which was adopted on 18th January 2024 (2023/2111(INI))1 with near unanimous support, that access to subsurface data; planning; financing; and new business models that address higher upfront costs but maximise very low operational costs over long lifetimes would be covered.    Earlier, Krzysztof Bolesta, Deputy Minister of Climate and Environment for Poland, stated “Geothermal energy is one of these essential resources in achieving decarbonisation” at the Euroheat & Power Summit in Brussels.   Philippe Dumas, Secretary General for the European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC) stated “Geothermal finally became a key pillar of Europe’s energy transition” whilst Sanjeev Kumar, Head of Policy, added, “Today marks the dawn of the geothermal decade”.   Geothermal energy provides baseload electricity, heating and cooling; the cheapest and least land-intensive means of energy storage; as well as the most sustainable means of lithium and mineral extraction.    At present, geothermal provides less than 2% of the EU’s final electricity, heating and cooling energy supplies. With a robust policy framework, EGEC’s modelling confirms that geothermal can meet at least 75% of the EU’s heating and cooling demand by 2040, 15% of electricity supplies and 10% of lithium and other minerals in a cost-effective means.   Download the Press Release.

Brussels, 21st October 2024 – The European Geothermal Heat Pump Days 2024 successfully concluded its three-day event in Dublin, Ireland, celebrating significant advancements in geothermal HP technology and reinforcing its role in supplying heat, cold and hot water but also thermal storage.

Over 200 stakeholders across the value chain of the geothermal sector, government agencies, municipalities, consumers, academia, researchers, think-tanks and civil society called on the European Commission to prepare a European geothermal energy strategy and action plan.   This comes after both the European Parliament and Committee of the Regions voted with almost unanimity in favour of a European strategy on geothermal earlier this year.   “A European strategy and action plan are urgently needed to unlock geothermal now,” said Philippe Dumas, Secretary General of the European Geothermal Energy Council.  “Geothermal is the glue that delivers a rapid, inclusive and large-scale energy transition” he added. “It’s impossible to ignore geothermal any longer,” he concluded.   Geothermal is a major source of renewable heating, cooling, electricity, the lowest cost energy storage as well as the most sustainable means of extracting lithium and other resources. Countries such Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland and Poland have national geothermal roadmaps to support investment and grow their industrial bases.   The letter called for:  A target of 250 GWs of geothermal energy by 2040 in electricity; heating and cooling (district heating and cooling systems, networked geothermal and standalone geothermal heat pumps); for use in public, residential and commercial buildings; agriculture; electricity generation, transport and manufacturing sectors;   Harmonisation and development of new support schemes, including cross-border financial risk guarantees;  Endorsement of the Geothermal Industrial Alliance;  Accessibility of energy demand and geological data;   Skilling workers, municipal network planners and permitting agencies;  Strengthening innovation and leadership of the EU domestic manufacturing industry.    Download the full letter  Download the press release