Council conclusions could be the beginning of something big

One of the few geothermal developer and operating companies with an European footprint, Innargi, warmly welcomes today’s approval of the Energy Council conclusions on geothermal energy by EU energy ministers. The conclusions highlight the great potential of geothermal for energy security, stable and affordable prices and especially for decarbonizing heating and cooling. They are an important signal for geothermal companies and district heating operators who are required to decarbonise their grids.

In its conclusions, the EU Energy Council calls on the new European Commission to draw up a comprehensive strategy on the decarbonisation of heating and cooling accompanied by a dedicated European Geothermal Action Plan. The plan should include measures to facilitate geothermal projects and to accelerate the deployment of geothermal energy. The conclusions also stress the need to act at national level with regards to faster permitting and licensing procedures, better access to subsurface data and the integration of geothermal in the local heating and cooling plans.

“Geothermal has an enormous untapped potential in Europe and geothermal district heating can make a substantial contribution to achieving EU key strategic objectives: Reaching climate targets, eliminating fossil-fuel dependencies and achieving reliable and affordable energy prices by accelerating the roll-out of homegrown renewables. Removal of barriers and smart regulation can unlock a lot of private investments.”
Asbjørn Haugstrup
Chief External Relations Officer

“We welcome the call for measures to enhance investments in geothermal projects and the enabling infrastructure like district heating networks, and the discussion on financial risk mitigation tools. Examples from some Member States show that this can facilitate private investments when adequately designed. We are looking forward to contributing to the work on key characteristics and requirements based on the experience from financing and developing projects in Denmark, Germany and Poland.”
Asbjørn Haugstrup
Chief External Relations Officer

Innargi has projects under development in Germany, Poland, Hungary, and Denmark and is currently building EU’s largest geothermal plant for district heating in Aarhus, Denmark. In the Greater Copenhagen Area, the company recently entered into an agreement with the local district heating operator helping 39,000 households to change from oil- and gas-based installations to district heating.

The Council conclusions are the last milestone in the line of EU institutions calling on the European Commission to present an EU approach to geothermal energy on equals terms with other renewable sources, after the European Parliament adopted a report already in January, followed by the European Committee of the Regions in April and the European Economic and Social Committee in October.

About geothermal

Geothermal energy is the heat energy that comes from the earth’s interior. In depths of one to three kilometers, geothermal water ranging from 30-80 degrees Celsius exists in many areas. This water can be pumped to the surface through deep boreholes, transferring the heat to the district heating network’s water in a closed circuit. Once the heat is transferred, the geothermal water is pumped back underground. Depending on the underground temperature, it may be necessary to use large heat pumps to elevate the temperature to the required level for the district heating network.

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For further information please contact

Chief External Relations Officer, Asbjørn HaugstrupÆ +45 26 72 94 21

Head of EU Affairs, Malte Nyenhuis: +32 472 25 26 49