European Parliament committee votes in favor of geothermal report
Plenary session at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium (source: MichalPL, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Carlo Cariaga
8 Dec 2023
The geothermal Own Initiative Report got a highly favorable vote from the European Parliament ITRE committee, showing political alignment for geothermal.
51 out of 53 members of the Industry, Energy & Research (ITRE) Committee of the European Parliament voted in favor of the Own-Initiative Report on geothermal that highlights the most effective means of accelerating the deployment of geothermal technologies across the EU.
The result of the vote demonstrates full political alignment on the need for a European approach to geothermal to help cities, industry and households convert to baseload renewable electricity, heating and cooling.
“Today heralds the dawn of the geothermal age in Europe,” said Philippe Dumas, Secretary General of the European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC). “We thank Professor Krasnodebski’s political leadership and the strong cooperation between all the Shadows and groups in the development of such a robust political statement”.
“The baton now passes to the European Commission to now deliver a strategy to maximise geothermal solutions for the benefit of everyone’s energy security and prosperity.”
The Own-Initiative Report by Professor Zdzislaw Krasnodebski presents the following points:
- A call on the European Commission to outline a European strategy for geothermal;
- The need for electricity and gas distribution system operators to include geothermal in their planning and local energy infrastructure investments;
- A harmonised financial risk mitigation framework;
- Dedicated support aid and just transition regions to invest in local geothermal solutions;
- Better access, harmonisation and presentation of geological data;
- A harmonised approach to the legal basis for geothermal in national mining laws.
In October 2023, the ITRE held an Executive Hearing at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium to present policy recommendations to help set up new Parliament and Commission agendas on geothermal.
Source: EGEC via email correspondence
