On December 7th, the Industry, Energy & Research (ITRE) Committee of the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favour of Professor Krasnodębski's Own-Initiative Report on geothermal.
Â
All but 2 of the 53 MEPs voted in favour of the report. This 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.
The main elements of the report are:
- 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.
"Today heralds the dawn of the geothermal age in Europe" said Philippe Dumas, Secretary General of the European Geothermal Energy Council. He added "We thank Professor Krasnodębski'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," he concluded.
