2022 Annual Report

June 2024
Disclaimer
IEA Geothermal do not warrant the validity of any information or the views and findings
expressed by the authors in this report. Neither IEA Geothermal (IEA-GIA) nor IEA shall be
held liable, in any way, for use of, or reliance on, any information contained in this report.

Report details

2022 Annual Report, IEA Geothermal, June 2024.

Executive Committee Secretary

IEA Geothermal Secretariat
C/- GNS Science
Wairakei Research Centre
Private Bag 2000, Taupo, New Zealand
Email: [email protected]
 Table of Contents

Message from the Chair.................................................................................................................................... 1

Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................................... 2
1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 22
2. Working Group 1 – Environmental Impacts .................................................................................. 24
3. Working Group 10 – Data Collection and Information............................................................... 25
4. Working Group 12 – Deep Roots of Volcanic Systems .............................................................. 27
5. Working Group 13 – Emerging Geothermal Technologies ...................................................... 28
6. Working Group 14 – Geothermal Heating and Cooling ............................................................ 30
7. Australia (2021) ...................................................................................................................................... 33
8. European Union ................................................................................................................................... 42
9. France ..................................................................................................................................................... 62
10. Germany .................................................................................................................................................. 81
11. Japan....................................................................................................................................................... 86
12. Iceland (2020) ....................................................................................................................................... 97
13. Italy ......................................................................................................................................................... 108
14. Mexico ................................................................................................................................................... 120
15. New Zealand (2021) ........................................................................................................................... 126
16. Norway .................................................................................................................................................. 135
17. Republic of Korea ............................................................................................................................... 143
18. Spain ...................................................................................................................................................... 148
19. Switzerland ........................................................................................................................................... 157
20. United Kingdom .................................................................................................................................. 167
21. United States of America.................................................................................................................. 174
Appendix 1 – IEA Geothermal Executive Committee ........................................................................... 183
Appendix 2 - IEA Geothermal Members and Alternates..................................................................... 184
Appendix 3 - IEA Geothermal Working Group Leaders ...................................................................... 186

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 Message from the Chair
Dear Reader,

Welcome to the 2022 IEA Geothermal Annual Report.

The document describes the work of IEA Geothermal
and our Working Groups, providing you with information
about geothermal sector activities in our participating
nations, as well as market, technology, research, and
statistical information.

It is pleasing to see geothermal energy utilisation

continuing to grow along with the interest that nations
are showing in this source of renewable low carbon
energy.

2022 was the 24th year for the IEA Geothermal

Technology Collaboration Programme. During the year
IEA Paris and IEA Geothermal worked on updating the
Implementing Agreement that governs the operation of
the Geothermal TCP. In June 2022 IEA Geothermal
applied to IEA Paris for a mandate for a further five-year
term to continue our work. The outcome of that application will be known in late February /
early March 2023.

The second Mine Water Geothermal Energy Symposium was run virtually in March 2022.
Access to the material is through this URL link.

A Superhot – Supercritical Geothermal Symposium Series was run virtually in February 2022.
Access to the material is through this URL link.

The 47th Executive Committee and Working Group meetings were held virtually on the 27th –
April 2022 and hybrid meetings were held for the 48th Executive Committee and Working
Group meetings, with the in-person meetings held in Berlin on the 13th – 14th October 2022. It
was terrific to be meeting back together for in person meetings after these being run virtually
during the COVID19 pandemic.

I would like to thank contributors to our work, those who have provided material and assisted
in preparing this 2022 report, the Working Groups and the Working Group leaders.

Please enjoy the read.

Dr Kasumi Yasukawa.

Chair IEA Geothermal

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 Executive Summary
The work of IEA Geothermal, and highlights from 2022, are presented in this report. IEA
Geothermal had 15 participating members; 13 country members; the European Commission;
and GEOPLAT an industry organisation sponsor. The group foster the sustainable use of
geothermal energy through international collaboration, collating and distributing quality
information, supporting the development and uptake of geothermal technologies, and
communicating geothermal energy’s strategic, economic and environmental benefits. Please
visit our website, participate in our Working Groups, join one of our workshops, or become a
member of IEA Geothermal.

Geothermal energy is used around the world in direct use applications: space heating and
cooling, greenhouse heating, aquaculture, bathing, thermal city networks, in underground
thermal energy storage systems and industrial uses. In parts of the world where appropriate
conditions are found, geothermal energy is also used to generate electricity.

The interest in geothermal heat is growing rapidly as value from this renewable energy source
is being realised. It is not only heat in the traditional sense but also cooling. The interest is
right across sectors from residential to city scale. Large integrated smart city energy systems
are being developed with the potential for significant reductions in city CO2 emission
footprints. Underground thermal storage systems are being developed to enable energy to
be stored and retrieved across various time periods as is useful for the application. Volcanic
geothermal systems that are superhot or supercritical are the focus of studies seeking to
release usable energy from them. The Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) environment
offers much potential that is yet to be realised and significant investment in EGS technology
and development is occurring Europe and the USA.

Working Group Activities

Working Group 1 (WG1)

Working Group 1 was established in March 1997 when IEA Geothermal was established. More
recently the group has been working on activities that:
a) encourage the sustainable development of geothermal energy resources,
b) quantify and seek ways to balance any adverse impacts that geothermal energy
development may have on the environment, and
c) identify ways of avoiding, remedying or mitigating adverse effects.

Networking and cooperation amongst participating countries’ researchers, policy- makers and
funding-agencies was at a low level during 2022 as the Working Group is in the process of
being wound down.

The Working Group Leader, Chris Bromley, is focussing on preparation of a document that
captures the relevant learnings on Environmental and Social impacts of Geothermal Projects
from the 20+ years that this Working Group has been operative.

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Working Group 8 (WG8)

Working Group 8 was closed in April 2022. Ongoing relevant work was taken up by Working
Group 14 Geothermal Heating and Cooling.

A very successful Mine Water Geothermal Energy Symposium was held virtually on the 16th
and 17th March 2022. The event was organised with the British Geological Survey, the UK
Coal Authority, the UK Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and IEA
Geothermal. The presentations can be accessed from this web page (URL to presentations).

Working Group 10 (WG10)

Internationally, there is demand for reliable data and information on geothermal capacity and
energy production. Working Group 10 is seeking to fulfil some of that demand. Data analysis
work by IEA Geothermal was interrupted from the end of 2019 until early 2022 when funding
for the work was reconfirmed.

There is an increasing focus developing on collating and analysing geothermal heat data.

Reports can be accessed from the IEA Geothermal web site.

Working Group 12 (WG12)

This WG focuses on the deep roots of volcanic systems and has participation from a number
of IEA Geothermal member countries who are working on superhot geothermal systems.
Amongst a range of necessary advancements energy utilisation from these geothermal
conditions requires improved modelling methods, fundamental geochemical characterisation,
development of downhole measurement tools, and advancing the understanding of water-
rock-gas interaction at high temperatures and pressures.

On the 14th to 16th February 2022 three superhot geothermal video symposium sessions were
convened. Organisations involved were the International Partnership for Geothermal
Technologies, the Geothermal the Next Generation (NZ superhot research programme) and
IEA Geothermal. The presentations can be accessed from this web page (URL to
presentations).

An Ultra Hot - Supercritical Geothermal - IEA Geothermal Collaboration paper was drafted
and submitted for publication in the proceedings of the 2023 World Geothermal Congress,
Beijing, China, September 15 – 17, 2023.

Working Group 13 (WG13)

Working Group 13 covers a broad spectrum of geothermal activity including exploration,

drilling, reservoir creation and enhancement, corrosion, scaling, tracers, and the mitigation of
induced seismicity. The goal is to provide quality information to facilitate the utilization of
geothermal energy worldwide. The development of innovative technologies is being pushed
by expert collaboration between countries and the results made available in documents and
presentations at conferences and workshops.

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Work is carried out in five tasks:

• Exploration (A1), Measurement and Logging (A2),

• Drilling Technology (B),
• Reservoir Creation and Enhancement (C),
• Induced Seismicity (D),
• Surface Technology (E) - Heat and Electricity Production, Corrosion, Scaling, Tracer
Technology.

Most Task work through 2022 was at a low level.

Task B (Drilling Technology) proposed an update of the 2017 Drilling Technologies Report
(URL link) with the updating to be undertaken from Dr Andreas Reinicke from ETH Zurich. The
proposal for this work was refined through 2022.

Task D (Induced Seismicity) activity through 2022 continued at a lower level with collaboration
amongst researchers sharing the results of the funded research being undertaken by
participants in this area.

Working Group 14

This working group was established in April 2023 with a focus on deep geothermal, shallow
geothermal and use of existing structures with consideration for both heating and cooling
applications.

The shallow geothermal work is led by Switzerland and a focus has developed on Aquifer
Thermal Energy Storage, with the intent of scoping out activity that might usefully advance
underground thermal storage awareness, uptake and technology development. Workshops
were to be organised that will draw interested parties together to share knowledge.

The deep geothermal work is led by France.

The UK have taken the lead on the use of existing structures with a Mine Water Expert Group
established by the British Geological Survey in 2022.

A paper Global knowledge exchange - experiences and outputs from the IEA Geothermal
Mine Water Energy Expert Group was drafted and submitted for publication in the
proceedings of the 2023 World Geothermal Congress, Beijing, China, September 15 – 17, by
the Mine Water Group and a Mine Water case study on the UKGEOS Glasgow Observatory
was prepared (URL link).

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National Activities
The material immediately below is a summary of 2022 activity from each of our member
countries. Each participant’s geothermal programme provides the basis for IEA Geothermal
cooperative activity. The country material is written up in more detail in chapters 7 to 21. Not
all participants have been able to complete the 2022 material for this report and where 2021
or earlier material is used it is recorded in the section heading.

Australia (2021)

The transition of Australia’s electricity sector to renewables is proceeding rapidly with

renewable generation exceeding 63,000 GWh in 2021, contributing 24% of total electricity
generated which is a 15% increase on the previous year. Emissions from the electricity sector
in 2020 were 172 MtCO2e with a reduction to 88 MtCO2e projected by 2030.

Commercial factors are driving ongoing investment, with projections of ~30% of grid
connected capacity coming from roof top solar (~34GW) by 2030.

The 310 kW ORC geothermal power plant in the remote community of Winton, Queensland
operated through 2021 after the plant was commissioned in December 2019.

Interest and investment in Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHP) and Direct Use geothermal
applications continues to grow, particularly in the states of Western Australia, New South
Wales and Victoria. The Fairwater development in NSW will have a fully instrumented 14 MWth
geothermal heat pump system servicing 800 homes. There has been a substantial technical
and social science research effort associated with this development seeking to quantify the
costs and benefits. The work is being progressively reported as the work streams are
concluded with study work due for completion in 2022. ARENA has funded the performance
assessment of the ‘deep well direct exchange’ (DWDX) ground source heat pumps installed at
Fairwater.

In Victoria energy to the St Hilaire community of 5500 homes is supplied from an integrated
renewable system with Solar PV, battery storage and geothermal energy in the mix. Morning
and evening peak energy demand will be flattened, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions
are expected to be achieved from the energy system. The 75,800sqm Melbourne Connect
precinct is supported by one of Melbourne’s largest rooftop solar PV arrays, a geothermal
energy system and on-site rainwater harvesting which has seen the facility accredited to the
highest 6-star green sustainable design rating. The geothermal energy system has a 250 kWth
capacity, designed to supply heat to 45oC and cooling to 6.5oC with a heating COP of 5.57
and a cooling COP of 5.15.

The geothermal heat supply to the Traralgon Gippsland Regional Aquatic Centre (GRAC) was
officially opened in the first quarter of 2021. Geothermal heat is supplied from 65oC water
taken from wells drilled into the Traralgon aquifer with the water returned to the aquifer at
between 40 and 53oC depending on the heat load required. Maximum power is 3MWth, with
annual carbon emissions reductions of 700 tonnes and annual savings of $400K compared to
gas heating predicted.

Interest in the Hot Spring and wellness sector is flourishing with a number of projects
nationwide under construction or finalising planning and financing. One of these at the

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Peninsula Hot Springs is an extension project, whilst projects at Talaroo, Alba, Saltwater
Springs, and Metung are new developments. A PhD project, at the Victoria University,
Melbourne, studying the social, environmental and economic impacts of hot springs on
communities across Australia commenced in 2020.

Government funded geothermal research is largely conducted by government research

institutions and universities, supported by both State and Commonwealth Government
funding including the Australian Research Council (ARC) and the Australian Renewable Energy
Agency (ARENA).

No national geothermal conferences were held during 2021.

European Commission

The European Commission (EC) supports the development of the geothermal sector through
an array of activities based on two major policy initiatives:

• the European Green Deal (EGD) 1 and,

• the Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan) 2.

The EGD is targeting European carbon neutrality by 2050 with a 2030 intermediate emissions
reduction target of 55% compared to 1990 levels. The ‘Fit for 55’ package was introduced to
achieve this intermediate target.

The EU member states are working to their 10-year integrated national energy and climate
plans covering the period 2021 to 2030 with the plans able to be accessed through this URL
Link. Member states progress reports are lodged every two years.

In May 2022 the EC presented the REPowerEU Plan 3 in response to the Russian invasion of
Ukraine which is focused on ending the EU dependence on Russian fossil fuels. This includes
increasing renewable energy targets, doubling the rate of deployment of heat pumps,
streamlining permitting processes, intensifying work on critical raw materials and loan support.

Horizon Europe commenced in June 2021 and runs through to the end of 2027. The
proposed research and innovation budget under the programme was EUR 95.5 billion.
Geothermal energy is included under the Climate, Energy and Mobility subprogramme. The
funding allocated for geothermal research and development in 2022 was some 22 million
euros.

The InvestEU Programme established in 2021 continues to bring together a multitude of

available EU financial instruments and expands the successful Juncker Investment Plan.
Through InvestEU, the Commission is boosting investment in innovation and job creation.

The European Union chapter in this report records the more significant Horizon 2020 projects
that were started, ongoing or completed in 2022.

1https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en
2 https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/research-and-technology/strategic-energy-technology-plan_en
3https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal/repowereu-

affordable-secure-and-sustainable-energy-europe_en

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At the end of 2021 there were 142 geothermal power plants with a total capacity of 3.4 GWe in
operation in Europe. The geothermal electricity production across Europe amounted to some
20 TWhe , whilst the production in European Union nations reached 7 TWhe which is ~0.25%
of the total EU electricity consumption.

The European district heating market continues to grow and at the end of 2020 there are 364
geothermal district heating plants in operation with a total capacity of 5.6 GWth. Fourteen new
schemes with a capacity of 51.5 MWth were installed during 2022.

Geothermal Heat Pumps are widely used across Europe with 2.1 million systems installed as of
end of 2020, with a corresponding capacity of about 27 GWth.

France

France has adopted ambitious targets to reach 7.5 TWh of geothermal heat production by
2023, and 9 to 12 TWh by 2028 in the 2019 Programmation Pluriannuelle de l’Energie.

In support of these targets regulatory reform and reworking of the SAF-Environment Fund to
promote deep geothermal projects across France including in areas with lesser-known
geological characteristics is being undertaken.

ADEME has reshaped the “Fonds SAF” scheme seeking to increase the number of deep
geothermal projects extending the 90% geological risk guarantee to be applicable across all
of France, with zonation according to the level of geological risk in a particular location.

There is reform ongoing to the Mining Code which is the regulatory instrument that governs
deep geothermal activity in France.

A 2020 market study identified 3.6 TWh pa supplied by shallow geothermal heat pumps to
individual residences. The residential market has seen about 3000 geothermal heat pump
systems installed annually since 2016. In 2021 4000 units were installed. This geothermal
market sector continues to face competition from air/water and air/air heat pump systems.

The 2020 market study estimated direct use geothermal at 2 TWh in 2020, mainly delivering
energy to district heating networks in Île-de-France through 50 doublets (or triplets). In total
there are 74 geothermal plants in operation including 10 geothermal district heating networks
outside of the Paris area in 2022. The Rittershoffen industrial heat supply delivered 182 GWh
pa, swimming pools, greenhouses, and thermal baths at 11 sites used 45 GWh, and 2 fish farms
in the Aquitaine basin used 40 GWh.

Geothermal electricity capacity was 17.2 MWe producing some 127 GWh in 2022. The facilities
are at Soultz-sous-Forêts (Alsace) and Bouillante (Guadeloupe).

Lithium is naturally present in some of the geothermal brines with several lithium R+D projects
underway. The French Geothermal Association of Professionals is building a dedicated cluster
to structure a nascent green lithium industry.

The 5th National Geothermal days event was organised by AFPG in June 2022. Two
geothermal awards were made; one to AbSolar who designed a solar thermal system for a
residential subdivision that includes an “earth battery” (URL link to a case study) and the

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second to ES Geothermal for the direct geothermal lithium extraction pilot project in the Bas-
Rhin.

Germany

At the end of 2021 there were 42 geothermal power and heating plants in operation across
Germany. Most generate heat from a total installed capacity of 452 MWth. Nine of these
generate electricity, either exclusively or supplementary to heat production. The total
geothermal electricity capacity is 46MWe.

The installed heat pump capacity in Germany is some 4900 MWth.

Germany has an increasing focus on deep geothermal energy utilisation that is expected to
lead to annual energy growth rates of 1.1 TWh pa between 2022 and 2030, culminating in
annual geothermal energy utilisation of ~10 TWh by 2030. To achieve this, at least 100
additional geothermal projects need to be initiated by 2030, increasing the current
geothermal heating network ten-fold.

The Federal Government plans a new strategic approach under the 7th Energy Research
Programme that focuses on technology and innovation transfer, sector coupling, digitisation,
systemic and societal issues and developing closer research networking at both the
international and European levels. The Government is going to strengthen energy sector
technology and innovation funding. This involves placing a greater focus on the major
overarching trends in the energy sector.

Looking ahead, Germany continues to foster collaboration for transparent and sustainable
geothermal networks in Europe, across international funding organisations, and public
authorities.

The Federal Government supports the development of renewable energies with a suite of
support mechanisms; feed-in-tariffs, R&D budgets, and investment subsidies.

Iceland (2020)

Iceland has developed expertise and experience in harnessing geothermal resources for both
space heating and for electricity generation. Over 90% of Icelandic households are heated
with geothermal energy and 30% of the nation’s electricity is generated from geothermal
energy.

The fourth Icelandic Master Plan for Nature Protection and Energy utilization was completed in
2020. The third plan, presented to the Minister for Industry in September 2016 remains
unconfirmed. The 10 projects identified in the third plan remain on hold as work cannot
commence until the plan is confirmed.

At the end of 2020 the installed geothermal electricity capacity was 757 MWe. In 2020 5960
GWh of geothermal electricity and 33.7 PJ of geothermal heat (2019 data) were produced.

An Energy fund, operated by Orkustofnun, supports geothermal development in areas where

geothermal energy is not yet used for heating. The financial support comprises a lump sum of
16 years-worth of subsidies to assist in establishing either geothermal heating or a more

8
efficient heating system, such as through heat pumps. No market incentives apply to
geothermal electricity development.

The Reykjavík Energy CarbFix and SulFix projects reinjecting gases extracted from
geothermal fluid at Hellisheiði power plant are progressing well with the gases mineralizing in
the basalt bedrock in less than two years. Currently 65% of the H2S and 30% of the CO2 are
returned underground.

The main purpose of the IDDP work is to determine if it is economically feasible to extract
energy and chemicals from hydrothermal systems at superhot conditions. Planning for the
IDDP-3 well in the Hengill area (near the Hellisheiði power plant) continues.

The 2020 World Geothermal Congress was rescheduled due to Covid 19 into 2021.

A hydrogen pilot plant has been established at Hellisheiði. The concept is that off peak
electricity is transformed into hydrogen and stored for later use.

In January 2020 the name of the United Nations University-Geothermal Training Programme,
programme changed to the UNESCO GRÓ Geothermal Training Programme with this
programme now operating under the auspices of UNESCO.

Italy

In Italy geothermal resources are used mainly for electricity generation. All the geothermal
plants in operation are located in Tuscany, in the Larderello-Travale and Mount Amiata areas.

No new geothermal electricity generation plants were commissioned in 2022.

At the end of 2022, Italy had an installed capacity of 915 MWe (running capacity 774MWe)
producing gross electrical energy generation of some 6 TWh, representing 2.1% of the total
domestic generation, and meeting more than 30% of the electricity demand in Tuscany.

Two geothermal plants are under construction, the 5MWe Monterotondo2 plant scheduled for
commissioning in 2025 and the 20 MWe Piancastagnaio6 scheduled for commissioning in
2024.

In addition to electricity generation, geothermal fluids are used as heat sources directly,
mainly for spas, space and district heating, greenhouses and fish farming. In 2020, the direct
use capacity was estimated at 1316 MWth with annual thermal energy supply totaling some 9.7
PJ.

There are some support mechanism currently operative and some policy adjustments being
worked through, including; tax deductibility of 55% for the installation of renewable energies
in the heating and cooling sector, geothermal district heating networks have a capacity tax
credit of 21 €/kWth paid to the end user to partially cover the cost of connection to the network
and a 21.95 €/MWh pa energy user energy payment, and with the RePower EU
communication from the European Commission there will be legislative reform including
updating support measures for geothermal electricity plant, direct geothermal use and the
geothermal heat pump market.

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Recent research has focused on ground surface soil gas emissions / flux, power plant
greenhouse gas emissions, reuse of geothermal gases and mineral recovery (lithium) from
geothermal brines.

Japan

Despite being rich in geothermal resources, Japan’s total installed geothermal capacity has
remained static at just over 500 MWe for nearly 30-years with total generation decreasing
(~3700 GWh to ~2300 GWh) during this time. This is largely considered to have been caused
by insufficient understanding of the reservoir capacities before development, resulting in
overestimation of production capacities and the installation of unsustainably large power
units. As a result, some older power plants have been decommissioned and replaced with
smaller capacity units. Thus, although the total number of units has increased in recent years,
the total installed capacity decreased between 2012 and 2018 (but remains >500 MWe).

Measures to encourage geothermal development by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and

Industry (METI) have recently renewed interest in the energy sector. These measures, which
included changing the regulation framework for geothermal drilling, lead to the commissioning
in the 2010s of many small capacity plants (up to only a few 100s kWe). As a result, Japan has
the second largest number of geothermal power plants in the world (second to the USA). The
most recently commissioned larger power plants are Matsuo-Hachimantai (7.5 MWe) and
Wasabizawa (46 MWe), both in 2019. Plants with capacities (>1 MWe) are presently under
construction in Hokkaido, Akita and Iwate.

2021 measures by the Ministry of the Environment (MoE) to promote geothermal development
included amendments to guidelines and related laws. A significant amendment covers the
permission process for geothermal drilling where “wellhead to wellhead control” was changed
to “reservoir control” with the former being suited for vertical wells but less so for directionally
drilled wells. Another important change was from the prohibition of geothermal power
generation in natural parks to one where it could be undertaken with “special caution to the
environment”.

In 2022, the Japanese government initiated a Feed-in-Premium (FiP) for small capacity
geothermal power projects developed by the local government or local community. METI
continues subsidising geothermal exploration through JOGMEC, as well as low interest loans
for plant construction, and funding for geothermal technology developments. The renewed
government support has attracted a wider variety of potential developers including those from
the real estate, construction and financial sectors. At the end of 2022 JOGMEC has supported
(through grant subsidies, equity capital investment and loan guarantees) 95 geothermal
projects.

Geothermal power plant construction has been underway in several areas across Japan. At
Minamikayabe (Hokkaido) construction of a 6.5 MWe binary plant (the largest in Japan) is on-
going. At Appi (Iwate) a 14.9 MWe plant is due for operation by April 2024. Planned
construction of a plant at Kijiyama (Akita) will begin in 2025, to be completed by 2029. At
Okuhida (Gifu) a small 2.0 MWe double flash system, the Nakao Geothermal Power Plant,
began operation in December 2022, with excess hot water being available to local onsen
owners. In other regions, small (<1 MWe) geothermal power generation projects are ongoing.

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Several older geothermal power plants are at the stage of facility replacement. Matsukawa
geothermal power plant (23.5 MWe since 1966), the oldest in Japan, will have a smaller 14
MWe replacement unit in 2025. Onikobe geothermal power plant (15 MWe since 1975) was
shut down in 2017, but replacement surface and subsurface facilities are presently under
construction with operations scheduled for April 2023. Hachijojima geothermal power plant
(3.3 MWe since 1999), was shut down in 2019. A new 4.4 MWe generator was scheduled for
operation in 2022 but drilling of a new production well have delayed the project.

During 2022 JOGMEC changed its name to "Japan Organization for Metals and Energy
Security” to recognise the organization’s focus towards a carbon neutral society, and
investments for CCS, hydrogen, fuel ammonia, and offshore wind. The geothermal R&D
programme, initiated in 2013, remains unchanged with attention given to funding exploratory
surveys. In 2022 the programme funded airborne geophysical surveys over 19 regions, land-
based surveys in 36 regions. Twenty two drilling surveys were undertaken. JOGMEC’s four
geothermal technology R&D development projects established in 2021 are ongoing.

JOGMEC has been providing technical training and upskilling courses, with a three-week-long
geothermal training course run every year. In 2022, it was held from late November to mid-
December in Kosaka City, Akita and in Tokyo with 18 participants. The course covered the
basics of geothermal energy development including technical, economic, and social aspects
with lectures covering 26 topics. A joint JOGMEC and GNS Science (New Zealand), online
short course “geothermal well targeting” was held in early September 2022.

In April 2022, a private college, “Geo Power Academy”, specializing in geothermal drilling was
established in Hokkaido. It offers a year-long course with lectures on geothermal energy and
training using both drilling equipment and simulators. The opening of the college is expected
to assist in alleviating the shortage in human resource capacity.

Since 2013 METI has run a program to raise social acceptance among local communities of
geothermal power developments. It subsidises a scheme for general public education
activities undertaken by local governments and/or private sector organisations. Six projects
were adopted in 2022 (c.f., eight in 2020, seven in 2021).

2022 was the 10th anniversary of JOGMEC’s geothermal symposium, which was held in Tokyo
as a hybrid event on 7-8th October 2022. Approximately 2360 people accessed the meeting
on-line, with 104 people in attendance. The Geothermal Research Society of Japan (GRSJ)
held its annual conference in Tokyo on 8-10th November 2022. The number of participants
(418) was the largest in the history of the event.

In October 2022 “50 Questions on Geothermal Energy” was published (in Japanese). Edited
by GRSJ, the book introduces geothermal energy for the general public. A special GRSJ
editing committee selected 50 questions on geothermal resources and their use, and 28
GRSJ members wrote the answers in language understandable for the lay-person.

Mexico

As at December 2022 the total Mexican installed electricity generation capacity was 87,131
MWe. Of this 64% comes from fossil fuel generation (natural gas and coal) with the remainder
from clean energy sources, mainly hydroelectricity (14.5%), wind power (7.9%) and solar PV
(7.5%). Geothermal accounts for 1.1% of the total generation with almost all the installed

11
generation owned and operated by the government utility Comisión Federal de Electricidad
(CFE).

The 1001.9 MWe of installed geothermal generation capacity for 2022 was the same as reported
for 2021. The operational capacity (959 MWe) also remains unchanged from 2021. The five
Mexican geothermal fields generating electricity are: Cerro Prieto, Los Azufres, Los Humeros,
Las Tres Vírgenes, and Domo de San Pedro. Development of a sixth field for power generation
at Cerritos Colorados, with several exploration and production wells drilled by CFE in the 1980s,
has been in hiatus since 1989 due to local opposition to the project. It has an estimated minimum
potential of 75 MWe.

Direct use geothermal remains under-developed in Mexico and remains unchanged from the
previous year. It is mainly restricted to balneology, representing around 155 MWth. Other direct
use applications, such as drying and heating (including geothermal heat pumps–GHP) comprise
only ~0.8 MWth.

There were no changes in policies for supporting geothermal developments in 2022. There
were no new applications for permits or concessions during the year. All the geothermal
exploitation concessions and exploration permits granted to CFE and to several private
companies remain valid.

No geothermal energy research projects were established in 2022. Five projects initiated by
the former Mexican Centre for Innovation in Geothermal Energy (CeMIE-Geo) are ongoing. One
of these is the operation of the specialised laboratories at the Ensenada Centre of Research
and High Education (CICESE). The remaining four projects, by the Engineering Institute of the
National University (UNAM) were planned to have been completed in 2022. These are direct
geothermal uses including establishing a desalination plant (40 m3/day) in Baja California using
low temperature resources, design and construction of a geothermal heat pump, design and
development of a small (10 kW) binary-cycle plant (scalable up to 100 kW), and the scaling of an
ORC turbine for use with super-critical CO2.

During 2022 the CeMIE-Geo continued to offer the Introduction to Geothermal Energy online
course, which almost 22,000 participants (https://es.coursera.org/learn/geotermia) have now
completed.

The 28th annual congress of the Mexican Geothermal Association (AGM) was held in April 2022
in the city of Morelia. There were two keynote presentations and 32 technical papers, presented
orally, plus eight poster presentations. It drew together about 300 participants.

New Zealand (2021)

In 2021 electricity generated from geothermal energy contributed ~18% to national electricity
production from an operational geothermal capacity of ~1040 MWe.

Construction activity continued on the 168 Mwe steam turbine facility as the next stage of the
Tauhara II project which is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2023.

Taheke drilling and well testing commenced for a planned 25 MWe development. Eastland
Generation (85%) and local iwi partners (Taheke 8C, 15%) received a NZ$11.9 million New
Zealand Government funding contribution for the 1st stage.

12
The New Zealand Government announced a strategic target of 100% renewable electricity
generation by 2035, in a normal hydro-generation year. This is in addition to the previous
target of 90% renewable by 2025

There is interest from policy makers and investors in direct geothermal heat use in New
Zealand. The Bay of Plenty Region and the Taupō District are actively promoting the
development of geothermal business. Implementation continues through a nation-wide
geothermal direct use strategy initiative through the New Zealand Geothermal Association
(NZGA, 2022). The Geoheat Strategy for Aotearoa NZ, 2017 – 2030 has goals of increasing
the direct use of geothermal energy by 7.5 PJ per annum (primary energy) and fostering an
additional 500 jobs in those enterprises that use it. Operators and investors are working on
commercial projects that would benefit economically from a supply of geothermal fluid. The
development of an Innovation hub is under consideration in the industrial area east of Taupō.

In 2021, the weighted average CO2 equivalent atmospheric emissions factor from New
Zealand Geothermal power stations was 64 g/KWh. The New Zealand carbon price has risen
significantly from about NZ$25/tonne CO2 during 2019 to NZ$70/tonne in December 2021.
This has provided geothermal power plant operators with increasing incentive to further
reduce gas emissions through selective well operation strategies or trial NCG reinjection
schemes. Capture and reinjection of CO2 gas emissions and modelling long-term net
emissions was initiated in several projects by Mercury Energy, Contact Energy and Ngawha
Generation.

Tissue maker Essity announced investment approval for its Kawerau geothermal steam-drying
project moving further to reduce its use of natural gas at its Kawerau plant. ECCA contributed
a $1.65 million Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry (GIDI) fund grant to this NZ
$16 million investment that will reduce carbon emissions by 136,610 tonnes over the project
life (~6500 tonnes per annunm). This is first paper mill in the world to have geothermal energy
used in the drum dryer and hood.

Halcyon Power (Tuaropaki Trust & Obayashi Corp JV) completed a geothermal powered,
green hydrogen project at Mokai in December 2021. This consists of a pilot plant with a
design capacity of 250 Nm3 per hour. It uses up to 1.25 MWe from the Mokai power station
and is expected to produce 180 tonnes of H2 per year for the New Zealand market (mostly for
transport).

Geo40 has developed a small-scale process to extract lithium from silica depleted geothermal
fluid. At laboratory scale, samples of geothermal brine types from across Europe, the Americas
and New Zealand have been successfully processed. A pilot plant for lithium extraction is
scheduled for 2022 to fit into the operational Geo40 silica extraction plant at Ohaaki.

Through 2020 GNS Science used core science funding to fund NZ$2.5M in geothermal
research through the “New Zealand’s Geothermal Future” programme, under four themes:
• Shallow resources and direct use,
• Taupō Volcanic Zone - Structure and Dynamics,
• Taupō Volcanic Zone – Source models; and
• Reservoir Chemistry.

13
The “Endeavour Fund” has supported research into “Empowering Geothermal Energy;
Increased Utilisation of Geothermal Energy Through New Integrated Geoscience Methods”.
This project addresses geoscientific uncertainties of accessing underground resources. The
project is funded at NZ$1.3M / yr until 2022.

A 5-year Endeavour fund research program (2019-2024), Geothermal the Next Generation,
funded at a level of about NZ$2M / yr, continued through 2021. The programme is studying
supercritical fluid resources that are likely to occur in the deep roots of volcanic-hosted
geothermal systems in the Taupō Volcanic Zone in New Zealand. The research involves
geochemical experiments, geophysical surveys, simulation modelling and community
engagement. The research includes international collaboration and advisors from IEA-
Geothermal member countries (Switzerland, Iceland and USA).

A “Marsden” research project (2019-2021) addressing the topic of improved understanding of

natural CO2 flux passing through Taupō Volcanic Zone geothermal systems concluded in
2021.

The University of Auckland PGCert geothermal diploma course had just 6 students enrolled in
2021 because of COVID19 travel restrictions for overseas students. In “normal” years
government-sponsored scholarships (up to 25 students) target the training needs of countries
such as Indonesia, Philippines, Mexico, Kenya and the Caribbean. Masters and PhD activity in
geothermal topics continued through 2021 and the University of Canterbury continued to run
geothermal graduate programs: a Geothermal Energy Systems Engineering Group within the
College of Engineering, and a Geothermal Resource Research Group within the Department
of Geological Sciences.

The New Zealand Geothermal Association 2021 seminar themed “Geothermal in a low carbon
future” was held on the 29th July 2021 in Taupō.

The 43rd New Zealand Geothermal Workshop organised by the Geothermal Institute,
University of Auckland, was rescheduled from November 2021 to a virtual event on the 2nd
and 3rd February 2022.

Norway

The energy sector in Norway has changed significantly in the last four years with
technological and market development increasingly focusing on the energy transition.. A
consequence of this is an increased need for interaction, dialogue and developing
understanding between energy suppliers, carriers and society.

As the third-largest exporter of energy in the world Norway has a large share of renewable
energy in both its total primary energy supply and in its electricity supply. Hydropower
dominates, accounting for around 95% of the total installed electrical capacity, with a large
reservoir storage capacity of 85 TWh. As at the end of 2022 there is no electricity production
from geothermal resources in Norway.

Geothermal energy use is dominated by the relatively widespread deployment of geothermal

heat pumps (GHP). As of 2020 GHP applications accounted for a total installed capacity of
1,862 MWth. The majority of the GHP installations are vertical closed-loop systems extracting

14
energy (heat and cold) from crystalline rocks through borehole heat exchangers (BHE). There
are more than 60,000 GHP installations.

Statistics from the Norwegian Heat Pump Association (NOVAP) identifies a peak of 3979 GHP
installations in 2018. High 2018-2019 sales are due to the 2020 prohibition on using fossil oil
for heating buildings. NOVAP has estimated that there were about 60,000 brine-to-water units
sold in Norway in the period 1996-2021. Due to its cold climate, Norway has a strong need for
airtight and well insulated buildings. In 2016, the parliament tasked the government to reach
an absolute savings target of 10 TWh in existing buildings by 2030.

Direct extraction of heat from deep wells has been successfully demonstrated in several pilot /
demonstration projects, including a de-icing pilot system installed at Oslo airport. Direct use
technology is expected to play a more significant role in the Norwegian geothermal sector in
future.

Two geothermal projects commenced in 2022 seeking to develop a horizontal closed loop
solution for deep geothermal energy utilisation. One funded from the EnergyX program
(Research Council of Norway funding), has Reelwell, TotalEnergies and OMV working to
develop a solution for use of horizontal closed loop technology at Svalbard in the high Artic.
The other project co-ordinated by IFE, funded by Horizon Europe, seeks to develop horizontal
closed loop technology drilling at a test site at Stavanger, in the southeast of Norway.

No major geothermal conferences were held in Norway in 2022 due to the tail of the Corona
pandemic and the reorganisation of Norwegian Centre for Geothermal Energy Research
(CGER).

Republic of Korea

Geothermal utilisation in Korea is primarily direct use from ground-source heat pump (GSHP)
installations. Installed GSHP capacity has increased rapidly since the mid-2000s, with about
100 MWth of new installations annually. The total installed capacity reached some 1.685 GWth
at the end of 2022. Other than GSHP, direct geothermal use applications are for bathing and
space heating.

In 2022 the government declared strong support for nuclear power, which is in contrast to the
former government that made efforts to reduce nuclear power generation in Korea.
Renewable energy is still an important element in the national energy policy, but as yet
geothermal is not separately specified in the policy, whilst strong support continues to be
given to other renewables such as solar, wind and hydrogen.

There were no new geothermal projects commissioned in 2022. One R&D project is in
progress developing a village scale hybrid energy supply system by combining solar PV and
GSHP systems. It started in 2021 and will continue for three years.

No notable results or publications on EGS or deep geothermal occurred in 2022. A project

that applied an aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) concept to a greenhouse heating and
cooling system (~350 kW capacity) was finalised in 2022. Monitoring of the system
performance and the environment continues. A total of six wells of about 100 m depth were
drilled. The project was led by Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM)
with participation from other research institutes and universities.

15
In 2021 the “Convergence and Open Sharing System (COSS)” education platform was
established. The leading topics include; big data, energy, artificial intellectual, semi-conductor
and media. Geothermal is included in the energy platform and is led by Seoul National
University with participation from other universities. Experts from universities, national
institutions, and industry provide lectures, either online or in person.

There are two Korean geothermal academic societies: Korea Society of Geothermal and
Hydrothermal Energy (KSGHE) and Korean Society for New and Renewable Energy (KSNRE).
In 2022, KSGHE held their conference on 6th October at Anyang Univ. Four geothermal
papers were presented including one on the ATES system. The KSNRE conference was held
on April 14-15, in Daegu, with five geothermal papers presented. KSNRE also held an
international conference, the Asia-Pacific Forum on Renewable Energy (AFORE). AFORE 2022
was held on Sep. 27 – Oct. 1 in Jeju. Four geothermal papers were presented.

KSGHE publishes the KSGHE Journal quarterly, twelve papers were published in 2022.
KSNRE publishes a quarterly journal, New and Renewable Energy (http://journalksnre.com). No
geothermal papers were published in 2022.

The government is keen to foster renewable energy deployment as a substitute for fossil
fuels, however, the outlook for geothermal power generation in Korea continues to be weak.
Research funding will be focussed on GSHP installations and R&D projects on hybrid systems
that also use solar PV or biomass.

Spain

The Spanish Government continues implementation of the Integrated National Energy and
Climate Plan (INECP) 2021-2030 lodged with the European Commission in 2020. The plan is
focused on achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Over the ten years from 2020 a 30% reduction
in greenhouse gas emissions relative to 2020 emission levels is targeted, which is expected to
result in a doubling in the utilisation of renewable energy.

With the challenging energy situation facing Europe efforts are accelerating to achieve the
energy transition, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and gaining energy autonomy.
Geothermal energy continues to advance in Spain consolidating itself as an innovative and viable
renewable.

GEOPLAT joined the European Geothermal Energy Council initiative calling on the European
Commission to prepare a strategy to unlock the potential of geothermal energy along with
associated sustainable mineral extraction for Europe. The strategy should unlock the potential of
geothermal energy across Spain.

In November 2022 the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic
Challenge opened the consultation process on a new Mining Law. This law reform comes as part
of the governments approach to strategic sustainable management of Raw Mineral Materials with
a commitment to amend the mines and their regulatory laws. GEOPLAT submitted taking the
opportunity to highlight that the new Mining Law should clarify and resolve various aspects
related to terms and types of geothermal energy use. There is a need to harmonise nomenclature
used in terms of 'resources' for geothermal and update the filing procedure for shallow
geothermal systems used for building space conditioning and production of domestic hot water.

16
In 2021 the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE) published the first ground source
heat pump census for Spain. The publication of this official dataset is a significant milestone for
the sector.

Spanish geothermal heat pump capacity is ~190Mth producing some 900 TJ of heat pa.

GEOPLAT and IDAE delivered the results of the census through a webinar in 2022.

There are no geothermal electricity generation facilities in Spain.

The Government of the Canary Islands reaffirmed its commitment to geothermal energy with
planned funding of € 90 million for geothermal development, specifically for exploration and
research on Tenerife, Gran Canaria and La Palma.

During 2022 GEOPLAT was active in a number of EU funded projects including:

• GEO-ENERGY EUROPE focused on the transnational European cluster dedicated to the

development and improving the competitiveness of small and medium sized
geothermal enterprises. The second phase GEO-ENERGY EUROPE 2 seeking to assist
European SME member companies to win business and export to third-country markets
concluded in November 2022. The consortium is however continuing to work together
as a cluster.
• CROWDTHERMAL project has concluded. An online platform has been developed as
part of the work (URL link). CROWDTHERMAL introduced its core services (URL Link) at
the 7th April 2022, First International Conference in Madrid.

GEOPLAT was involved in eleven workshop / conference events during 2022 including the
GEOPLAT Annual Assembly that was held in Madrid on the 21st June 2022.

Switzerland

Geothermal use in Switzerland is dominated by shallow low temperature use with ~2600 MWth
of geothermal heat pump capacity installed. The total energy produced is ~4.2 TWh pa of
which 75% is heat energy upstream of the heat pumps. The use of geothermal and heat
pump technology will continue to grow as the push for renewable heat intensifies over coming
years. Through 2022 157 MWth of capacity was installed.

Large infrastructure projects, such as rail and road tunnels, are being used as sources of
geothermal energy (capacity of some 11 MWth).

Direct geothermal use is dominated by Spa use, with an estimated capacity of ~22 MWth
supplying direct use energy totalling some 185 GWh pa.

There are no geothermal power facilities operational in Switzerland.

The implementation of Switzerland’s Energy Strategy 2050 sees financial support measures in
place supporting installations using geothermal energy for heating and cooling, and the
development geothermal power generation with subsidies, as at the end of 2022, totalling
CHF 114 million and CHF 77 million awarded to specific geothermal power and direct use heat
production projects.

17
The Swiss Competence Centers for Energy Research (SCCER) concluded at the end of 2020.
A synthesis report (Giardini et al, 2021) was published in September 2021 highlighting the
major achievements (URL to report).

The SWissEnergy research for the Energy Transition (SWEET) funding programme to 2032 is
the follow up to the SCCER programme. SWEET is focussed on accelerating innovation crucial
to implementation of Switzerland’s Energy Strategy 2050 and the country’s climate policy
ambitions.

Switzerland’s geothermal research expenditure for 2022 was some CHF 14 million. Research
activity is focused on:
• Innovation in Engineered Geothermal Systems (EGS),
• Heat storage, including the two Swiss project sites in Geneva and Bern (Forsthaus), and
• Drilling technology innovation.

Geothermal conferences or conferences with significant geothermal content in 2022 were :

• Gurten Symposium: Speicherung im Untergrund, Bern (BE), 19. October 2022
• Geothermie Forum 2022, Bern (BE), 29. September 2022

United Kingdom

Interest in geothermal energy and associated activities in the United Kingdom continue to
increase.

The installed geothermal heat pump capacity in 2022 was some 816 MWth obtained from an
estimated 49,280 installations.

There is growing interest in utilising the waters within disused mine systems for their
geothermal potential. In many cases the temperature of the water will be at normal ground
water temperatures, the high abstraction rates possible make these ideal for large capacity
open loop ground source heat pump systems. Additionally at some former colliery sites
pumping of the mine waters is already undertaken for environmental reasons. The Coal
Authority are developing geothermal heating schemes at a number of their pumped sites.

In 2022 a Heat Networks Zoning Pilot was launched with the aim of developing heat networks
in zones / areas where they provide lowest cost and low carbon heat to the consumer through
regulation, mandating powers and market support. A first step has consisted of developing
zoning models that identify possible heat network zones.

A new mine water scheme has been developed in Gateshead (NE England) with an installed
capacity of 6 MWth. The project is developed close to the operational Lanchester Wines mine
water scheme that provides ~4 MW of heat to two large warehouses. The Coal Authority is
developing a Living Lab monitoring network to monitor the evolution of these Gateshead
schemes.

The 2022 virtual Mine Water Geothermal Energy Symposium organised by BGS, the Coal
Authority and IEA Geothermal took place on the 16-17 March 2022. Presentations can be
accessed through this URL https://iea-gia.org/workshop-presentations/2022-mine-water-
geothermal-energy-symposium/. As part of the symposium the formation of a Mine Water

18
Energy Expert Group was announced (https://iea-gia.org/areas-of-activity/geothermal-heating-
and-cooling/mine-water-geothermal-energy-group/). The group is coordinated by the British
Geological Survey.

The two deep geothermal schemes in Cornwall, United Downs and Eden, are in their final
stages of development, with United Downs completing the design of the power plant and
Eden expecting to start heat supply in 2023. Four more deep geothermal projects (each with
5 MWe electricity and 20 MW of heat capacity) have been proposed for development in
Cornwall. Two of them obtained planning permission in 2022.

United States of America

The United States of America (USA) is the global leader in geothermal electricity generation
with an installed capacity of 3.9 GWe generating 17 TWh pa of electrical energy. Ninety-five
percent of this is in California and Nevada. 134 MWe of new capacity was installed during
2022. The national target for geothermal electrical capacity is some 90 GWe.as announced in
the Enhanced Geothermal Shot programme.

The direct use capacity totals ~21 GWth with energy production of 153 TWh pa.

Total installed capacity of geothermal heat pumps is some 20 GWth.

In recent years, the USA has seen a marked increase in the number of university and
corporate campuses, communities, and other entities planning district type-scale geothermal
systems. The use of and interest in geothermal heat pumps for individual residences and
commercial buildings also continues to grow, particularly in response to the Biden-Harris
Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act. 4 As of 2022 there are more than 23 geothermal
district heating and cooling systems in the USA.

The 2019 GeoVision analysis continues to guide the USDOE Geothermal Technologies Office
(GTO) research, development, and demonstration planning in 2022. GTO focuses on
accelerating innovation and expanding opportunities across the geothermal resource sector
with work in four main program areas:
• Enhanced geothermal systems (EGS);
• Hydrothermal resources;
• Low-temperature and coproduced resources; and
• Data, modelling, and analysis.

In 2022, GTO announced the Enhanced Geothermal Shot™, a USDOE-wide effort to reduce
the cost of Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) by 90% to $45 per megawatt-hour by 2035.
Achieving this could allow the United States to deploy more than 90 GWe of geothermal
electricity-generating capacity by 2050.

In 2022, GTO released a Multi-Year Program Plan (MYPP) outline of research pathways to
2026, centered on three strategic goals to: expand geothermal deployment, help decarbonize
the economy, and advance environmental and social justice. The plan focuses on six primary
Research Areas that cut across GTO’s structure, including challenges and barriers:

4The White House, Inflation Reduction Act Guidebook (January 2023). https://www.whitehouse.gov/cleanenergy/inflation-reduction-
act-guidebook/

19
 • Exploration and Characterization
• Subsurface Accessibility
• Subsurface Enhancement and Sustainability
• Resource Maximization
• Data, Modeling, and Analysis
• Geothermal Integration and Awareness

FORGE in 2022 : The FORGE team conducted and monitored a three-stage hydraulic
stimulation on well 16A at the Milford, Utah Site. The stimulation reactivated the existing
fracture network and generated new fractures providing the basis of the EGS reservoir.

FORGE released its second research and development solicitation (2022-2), which will
provide up to $44 million for new and innovative EGS tools and techniques that support
reservoir characterization, creation, and sustainability. The call covers five different topic areas
to the five covered in the first solicitation. Topics in the 2022-2 call were:

• Topic 6: Adaptive Induced Seismicity Monitoring Protocols

• Topic 7: Alternative Stimulation Schemes
• Topic 8: Field Scale Experiments to Measure Heat-Sweep Efficiency
• Topic 9: High Temperature Proppants
• Topic 10: Multiset Straddle Packers for Open Hole Operations.

Wells of Opportunity: ReAmplify : Four projects were selected in 2022 to receive up to $8.4
million under the Wells of Opportunity: ReAmplify initiative. These projects will evaluate and
establish the commercial viability of geothermal energy production from existing hydrocarbon
wells.

Geothermal Energy from Oil and Gas: A funding opportunity announcement (FOA) was made
seeking to leverage the skills and expertise of the oil and gas industry to advance geothermal
energy. The Geothermal Energy from Oil and Gas Demonstrated Engineering (GEODE)
initiative was established to fund a consortium of experts to develop a roadmap addressing
technology and knowledge gaps in geothermal energy based on oil and gas industry best
practices.

Drilling Demonstrations: In January 2022 GTO announced up to $20 million in funding to

support field demonstrations that show measurable improvements in drilling time leading to
reduced geothermal well costs. Two projects were accepted in December 2022: one that will
drill twin high-temperature geothermal wells in the Denver-Julesberg Basin in Colorado, and
the other that will deploy innovative drilling methodologies and technology in The Geysers
Geothermal Field, California.

Hidden Geothermal Systems: This work seeks to accelerate discoveries of new, commercially
viable hidden geothermal systems. Work spans multiple methods, including play fairway
analysis, machine learning, advanced geostatistics, and conductive surveys.

Federal Geothermal Partnerships: This initiative provides technical assistance for geothermal
energy deployment at federal facilities. Oak Ridge National Laboratory leads the initiative to
help expand geothermal heating and cooling uptake at federal sites nationwide.

20
Community Geothermal Heating and Cooling: This Design and Deployment Funding
Opportunity Announcement was released in 2022 to assist communities design and deploy
geothermal district heating and cooling systems, create related workforce training, and
identify and address environmental justice concerns. Projects supported will expand
community-scale geothermal by supporting new systems and developing case studies to be
replicated throughout the country and support the formation of community coalitions that will
develop, design, and install community geothermal heating and cooling systems that supply at
least 25% of the heating and cooling load of the community.

21
 1. Introduction
Progress reducing and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions along with the increasing use of
renewable energy sources is occurring in many nations at accelerating pace, with geothermal
energy utilisation providing an invaluable contribution.

Geothermal energy is renewable energy, available 24/7 independent of the time of day or the
weather. Heat energy can also be stored in the ground for later retrieval and use, such as in
borehole energy storage or aquifer energy storage systems. Geothermal resource use and
investigations continued to grow through 2022 with a number of nations making significant
investments in the direct use of geothermal energy and in geothermal heat pump technology.
Growth rates in these sectors are globally running at up to 10% or more per annum. Globally
direct geothermal energy use uptake rates are significantly out pacing the growth rates in
geothermal electricity generation.

To develop non-traditional (superhot-high temperature, supercritical and EGS) geothermal

resources, technology development is vital. Research in EGS is underway with more needed
to release the vast geothermal energy potential contained within the earth. Superhot /
supercritical research is being undertaken in Japan, Iceland, Italy USA, and New Zealand.
EGS research is a particular focus in countries in Europe and the USA. Technology and
methods development are required to be able to release the energy potential from these
earth energy sources.

1.1 IEA Geothermal

The International Energy Agency (IEA) Technology Collaboration Programmes look for
solutions to long-term energy challenges through government and industry collaboration. IEA
Geothermal seeks to: Promote the sustainable use of geothermal energy through
collaboration, facilitating knowledge transfer, providing high quality information, and
communicating strategic, economic and environmental value of geothermal energy.

IEA Geothermal has 15 members, 13 countries (Australia, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy,
Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Switzerland, the United Kingdom
and the United States of America), the Spanish Geothermal Technology Platform (GEOPLAT)
and the European Commission.

IEA Geothermal members focus activities into the Working Groups. Working Group activity is
further subdivided into tasks. Task Involvement is determined by members’ current interests
and their research and development programmes.

IEA Geothermal collects and collates geothermal energy data annually as part of Working
Group 10. The data is assembled into annual trend and power statistics reports. These can be
found under Working Group Publications tab on the IEA Geothermal website.

The activities of IEA Geothermal are managed by an Executive Committee. The 47th Executive
Committee meeting was held virtually on the 27th –April 2022 and a hybrid meeting was held
for the 48th Executive Committee meeting, with the in-person events being held in Berlin on
the 13th – 14th October 2022.

22
This report provides details on the activities carried out by the Working Groups along with the
geothermal activities in member countries. The status, activities and 2022 achievements of
the Working Groups are described in Chapters 2 to 6. Information on member activity is found
in Chapters 7 to 21. There are many references to up-to-date information contained within the
report which can be found at the end of each chapter.

Appendix 1 details the IEA Geothermal Executive Officers as at the end of December 2022,
Appendix 2 the IEA Geothermal Executive Committee Members and Alternates. and Appendix
3 the Working Group Leaders.

For more information on IEA Geothermal please visit our website or email
[email protected] .

23
 2. Working Group 1 – Environmental Impacts
Chris Bromley
GNS Science, Wairakei Research Centre, Private Bag 2000, Taupō, New Zealand.
Email: [email protected]

2.1 Introduction
Collaboration activity commenced in March 1997. At that time the activity was referred to as
Annex 1. The countries officially participating in the Working Group 1 are Australia, Iceland,
Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and the United States. The Working Group
web page on the IEA Geothermal web site can be accessed through this hyperlink.

The tasks undertaken have changed over time, as different environmental and social issues
have been identified and discussed by participants at meetings and workshops.

Recently the group has been working on activities that:

a) encourage the sustainable development of geothermal energy resources;
b) quantify and seek ways to balance any adverse impacts that geothermal energy
development may have on the environment; and
c) identify ways of avoiding, remedying or mitigating adverse effects.

Networking and cooperation amongst participating countries’ researchers, policy- makers and
funding-agencies was at a low level during 2022 as the Working Group is in the process of
being wound down.

The Working Group Leader, Chris Bromley, is focussing on preparation of a document that
captures the relevant learnings on Environmental and Social impacts of Geothermal Projects
from the 20+ years that this Working Group has been operative.

2.2 Future Activities

Completion of the document that captures the relevant learnings on Environmental and Social
impacts of Geothermal Projects from the activity of this Working Group.

After the learnings document is completed the Working Group is to be closed.

24
 3. Working Group 10 – Data Collection and
Information
Josef Weber
Data and Information Working Group Leader, email: [email protected]

3.1 Introduction
Working Group (WG) 10 activity focuses on collecting geothermal energy use data, analyzing
statistical trends and tracking geothermal developments in IEA Geothermal member countries.
This material is published in IEA Geothermal Trend Reports (iea-gia.org/publications-
2/working-group-publications). All Contracting Parties participate in this Working Group and
sponsors also contribute.

The Working Group is led by Josef Weber. The contract funding for this work stream was
interrupted between the beginning of 2020 until into early 2022 when funding was
reconfirmed.

Internationally, there is demand for reliable data and information on geothermal capacity and
energy production. Working Group 10 is seeking to fulfil some of that demand. Data collection
activities commenced in 2011 with data collated for the 2010 year. Additional data from nations
that are not IEA Geothermal participants but have significant geothermal energy
developments are also compiled and analyzed, seeking to provide more complete
comparative analysis on global trends.

The Geothermal Trend Report provides a brief overview of key data on geothermal energy
use and shows the national progress in the development of geothermal energy activities.

Data on geothermal power utilization is easier to obtain than heat utilization data, and since
2016 IEA Geothermal have produced a separate Geothermal Power Statistics Report earlier in
the year than the Trend Report. This short report includes tables and figures on the
development of geothermal power in IEA Geothermal member countries along with an
overview of the latest geothermal power plants commissioned.

Reports can be accessed from the IEA Geothermal web site (URL link).

Work is in progress to collaborate with other institutions and organizations operating

internationally in the field of geothermal energy data in an effort to expand the database to
include geothermal energy use data from an increasing number of non-member countries as
geothermal development increases worldwide.

3.2 Highlights
Reconfirmation of funding for Josef Weber to recommence work on this activity in early 2022.

Lodging of an abstract for a data paper in the WGC 2023 Congress – Geothermal Trend
Reporting and Statistics by IEA Geothermal.

25
3.3 Progress in 2022
Data analysis work undertaken to draw together summary information for the 2018-2020
period.

Data requested from participants for the 2021 calendar year. There is an increasing focus on
geothermal heat data.

3.4 Outputs
See highlights section above.

3.5 Future Activities

- Preparation and publication of the IEA Geothermal Trend and Power Reports, including
analysis of data from 2018 to 2020 and production of the 2021 Geothermal Power
Report.
- Continuing collaboration with other organizations and institutions to expand data
collection and to extend the countries involved.

26
 4. Working Group 12 – Deep Roots of Volcanic
Systems
Chris Bromley
GNS Science, Wairakei Research Centre, Private Bag 2000, Taupō, New Zealand.
Email: [email protected]

4.1 Introduction
The deep roots of volcanic geothermal systems involve various heat transfer processes
including the flow of magma, flow of single-phase, two-phase, superhot or supercritical fluids,
and water-rock interactions involving gases and salts. These processes are difficult to monitor
and challenging to simulate using geothermal simulation modelling methods and laboratory
experiments. Developing a strategy for deep roots energy utilisation therefore requires
improved modelling methods, innovation of measurement tools and better understanding of
high temperature water-rock-gas-salt interaction. Advances are being accelerated by
collaborative research, cooperation, and coordination across international research groups,
including those that are represented by IEA-Geothermal participants in Working Group 12 (WG
12).

WG 12 strategies to address these challenges, are:

Task A: Compilation of conceptual models of the roots of volcanic geothermal systems

and associated research methods, using open-source information from participating
countries to provide background material for deep-roots research, including
information on exploration, modelling methods and tools.

Task B: Advancement of methods for deep geothermal exploration to disseminate

information on advances in exploration methods, facilitate cooperation amongst
research-groups, and enhance the depth resolution of available methods by using the
power of joint data-set interpretation.

Task C: Methods for modelling conditions and processes in deep geothermal

resources, by advancement of methods applied in the modelling of physical
processes, revealing the overall process of upwards heat transfer, improving
geothermal reservoir modelling, and enhancing synergy by avoiding duplication of
effort through improved sharing of open-source software and information.

4.2 Highlights / Outputs

On the 14th to 16th February 2022 three superhot geothermal video symposium sessions were
convened. Organisations involved where the International Partnership for Geothermal
Technologies, the Geothermal the Next Generation (NZ superhot research programme) and
IEA Geothermal. The presentations can be accessed from this web page (URL to
presentations).

An Ultra Hot - Supercritical Geothermal - IEA Geothermal Collaboration paper was drafted
and submitted for publication in the proceedings of the 2023 World Geothermal Congress,
Beijing, China, September 15 – 17, 2023.

27
 5. Working Group 13 – Emerging Geothermal
Technologies
Josef Weber1, Christian Minnig2, Chris Bromley4
1 Leader WG 13, Georg August University Göttingen, Goldschmidtstr. 3, 37077 Göttingen, Germany,
[email protected]
2 Co-Leader of WG 13, Swisstopo, Swiss Geological Survey, Seftigenstrasse 264, 3084 Wabern, Switzerland,
[email protected]
4 Leader of Task D, GNS Science, Wairakei Research Centre, Private Bag 2000, Taupō 3352, New Zealand,
[email protected]

5.1 Introduction
Working Group (WG) 13, Emerging Geothermal Technologies, was established on 21st April
2015 and commenced work subsequent to a meeting in Hanover, Germany, in September
2015. The working group covers a broad range of geothermal activity including: exploration,
drilling, reservoir creation and enhancement, corrosion and scaling in surface facilities, the use
of tracers, and the mitigation of induced seismicity.

Work in WG 13 is currently carried out in five tasks:

A: A1. Exploration (Geothermal Play Types)
A2. Measurement and Logging
B: Drilling Technology
C: Reservoir Creation and Enhancement
D: Induced Seismicity
E: Surface Technology (Heat and Electricity Production, Corrosion, Scaling, Tracer
Technology)

The goal of WG 13 is to provide quality information to facilitate and promote the utilization of
geothermal energy worldwide. The development of innovative technologies is being pushed
by expert collaboration between countries with the results made available in documents and
presentations at conferences and workshops.

Participants are Germany, Switzerland (with Christian Minnig as WG co-leader), Norway (IFE),
Korea (KIGAM), New Zealand (GNS Science), Japan, Australia, France, the United States and
the European Commission.

Working Group 13 covers a broad spectrum of geothermal activity including exploration,

drilling, reservoir creation and enhancement, corrosion, scaling, tracers, and the mitigation of
induced seismicity. The goal is to provide quality information to facilitate the utilization of
geothermal energy worldwide. The development of innovative technologies is being pushed
by expert collaboration between countries and the results made available in documents and
presentations at conferences and workshops.

Most Task work through 2022 was at a low level.

28
5.2 Task B – Drilling Technology
Task B proposed an update of the 2017 Drilling Technologies Report (URL link) with the
updating to be undertaken from Dr Andreas Reinicke from ETH Zurich. The proposal for this
work was refined through 2022.

5.3 Task D – Induced Seismicity

Task D (Induced Seismicity) activity was at a low level through 2022 with collaboration
amongst researchers sharing the results of the funded research being undertaken by
participants in this area.

29
 6. Working Group 14 – Geothermal Heating and
Cooling
Stephan Bolay1, Virginie Schmidlé-Bloch2
1 GEOTEST AG, Bahnhofstrasse 8A, CH-7260 Davos Dorf, Switzerland,
[email protected]
2 Association Française des Professionnels de la Géothermie, 77 rue Claude Bernard, 75005 Paris, France
[email protected]

6.1 Introduction
Working Group 14 “Geothermal Heating and Cooling” was established by way of Motion 47/5
on the 22nd April 2022 by the IEA Geothermal Executive Committee. WG 14 was established
as an opportunity to capitalise on what had been previously undertaken in WG 8 “Direct Use
of Geothermal Energy”, but with a stronger focus on geothermal heating and cooling
applications.

On organisational aspects, France (AFPG) is leading the work on deeper geothermal activities
and Switzerland (OFEN) is leading activity on shallow geothermal energy. Moreover,
Switzerland has supporting annual funding of CHF 40,000, which is funding the part time
input of Stephan Bolay. France is contributing in-kind support from Virginie Schmidlé-Bloch
and Christian Boissavy.

There are three main areas of activity:

I. Deep geothermal activities: led by AFPG, France

II. Shallow geothermal activities: led by Switzerland:
III. Geothermal - Use of existing structures: BGS and BEIS, led by United Kingdom

6.2 Participation
Interest and participation are developing and at the end of 2022 France, Switzerland, UK and
Korea are actively involved in WG 14 activities.

6.3 WG 14 Highlights 2022

Highlights for the year include:

• Formation of WG 14
• Commencing organisation of a workshop on Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES)
with seed funding of USD 20,000 from the common fund approved by way of motion
48/4 in October 2022.

6.4 Task Progress and Outputs

6.4.1 Progress in 2022
WG 14 has started the following tasks:

WG 14 I Deep heating & cooling:

30
 1. Good practice & technology radar
2. Support tools
3. Public acceptance

WG 14 II Shallow heating & cooling:

1. ATES (Aquifer thermal energy storage)

2. GSHP calculator (ground source heat pump calculator)

WG 14 III Existing Structures

1. Preparation for the 2023 Mine Water Geothermal Energy Symposium

2. Mine water geothermal energy case study completed on the UKGEOS Glasgow
Observatory
3. Re-use of existing oil and gas wells

6.4.2 Outputs
The 2022 Mine Water Geothermal Energy Symposium was held on 16-17th of March 2022
online 0. This occurred before WG 14 formally commenced.

Mine Water case study – UKGEOS Glasgow Observatory (URL link)

6.5 Future activities

Future work includes continuing effort on the existing tasks:

WG 14 I Deep geothermal heating & cooling:

A. A questionnaire and report with recommendations will be prepared on the following

topics:
o country specific regulations and definitions
o comparison of national support schemes
o success factors for geothermal project development
o public acceptance

WG 14 II Shallow geothermal heating & cooling:

A. ATES:
o Organisation of ATES scoping workshop to assist the review
o Proposal for review study on ATES
B. GSHP calculator:
o Review of existing Swiss calculator tool for comparing different heating
systems regarding investment and operating costs and CO2 emission
o Proposal for a new tool that can be adapted by all member countries

WG 14 III Geothermal usage of existing structures

A. Mine water geothermal:

o Organisation of 2023 mine water geothermal energy symposium (19-20th April
2023)
o Call for research applications at Glasgow Observatory
o Preparation of more mine water geothermal cases studies

31
6.6 References
[1} 2022 Mine Water Geothermal Energy Symposium – British Geological Survey, UK Coal
Authority and IEA Geothermal Energy – Zoom Webinar – March 2022.
URL link to workshop presentations.

32
 7. Australia (2021)
Betina Bendall, Barry A. Goldstein
Department for Energy and Mining, Government of South Australia, Level 7, 11 Waymouth St, Adelaide, South
Australia 5000.
[email protected]; [email protected]

7.1 Introduction
Activity in geothermal electricity generation in Australia peaked in the 2009 to 2015 period
with a focus on the development of Engineered Geothermal (EGS) and Hot Sedimentary
Aquifer (HSA) Systems. At this time about 10 unconventional geothermal projects were under
development and significant technical successes were achieved including the creation of EGS
reservoirs by Geodynamics Ltd at the Habanero field in the Cooper Basin, South Australia and
by Petratherm Ltd at Paralana, South Australia

The technical achievements made during this period were tempered by a lack of commercial
success, largely influenced by a combination of high drilling costs, poor market conditions
leading to the retraction of private venture capital for speculative investments, and an
uncertain policy environment for renewable technologies. Succinct discussions of these
issues and the current climate faced by the generation sector in Australia are provided by
Budd and Gerner (2015) and a report by the Australian Geothermal Association (Ballesteros et
al, 2019).

A number of companies continue to hold geothermal exploration licences across Australia

(Figure 7.1) and recently there has been renewed interest in developing small-scale
geothermal generation in remote regional centres using waste heat from bore water
infrastructure, such as the recently commissioned ORC plant at Winton, Queensland.

Figure 7.1: Geothermal licences, applications and gazettal areas as at 15 January 2021.

33
A census of geothermal energy installations in Australia undertaken by the Australian
Geothermal Association (AGA, 2019) has highlighted the increasing interest and investment in
Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHP) and Direct Use geothermal applications (Figure 7.2,
Figure 7.3). The census results have exposed the previously underestimated deployment of
GSHPs, particularly in New South Wales, and drawn attention to the upswing in new
developments of geothermal aquatic centres and hot spring spa resorts. These developments
are largely concentrated in the states of Western Australia and Victoria (Beardsmore et al,
2021) with aquatic centre projects generally funded from local government infrastructure
budgets, whereas the current surge in hot spring developments is being driven by private
industry investment.

Figure 7.2 Installed geothermal and geoexchange capacity in Australia circa 2017 (after AGA, 2019).

These developments occur largely in the absence of supporting policy incentives since Direct
Use geothermal technologies, including GSHPs, remain ineligible under the Australian
Commonwealth Government’s Small-Scale Renewable Energy Target program. Lack of
supporting policy mechanisms and low community awareness of the potential of GSHP and
direct use geothermal continue to be major impediments to the wider deployment of these
technologies.

34
Figure 7.3 Operational geothermal and geoexchange capacity in Australia circa 2017 (after AGA, 2019).
Table 7.1 Geothermal energy usage in Australia for the calendar year 2020.

Electricity Direct Use

Total Installed Capacity (MWe) 0.3 Total Installed Capacity (MWth) 71.2

New Installed Capacity (MWe) 0 New Installed Capacity (MWth) 1.4

Total Running Capacity (MWe) N/A Total Heat Used (PJ/yr) [GWh/yr] 310.4

Contribution to National Capacity Total Installed Capacity Heat

(%) N/A Pumps (MWth) 78.9

Total Generation (GWh) N/A Total Net Heat Pump Use [GWh/yr] 30.9*

Contribution to National
Generation (%) 0 Target (PJ/yr) N/A
(N/A = data not available)
(* indicates estimated values from 2019)

35
7.2 Changes to Policy Supporting Geothermal Development
At the international level, Australia’s commitment under the 2015 Paris Agreement is to reduce
emissions by 26–28% below 2005 levels by 2030. A revised Renewable Energy Target (RET)
scheme in operation since 2011 has been the main incentive for delivering this target through
the deployment target of 33,000 GWh of renewable generation by 2020 (Clean Energy
Regulator, 2020; DISER, 2020b; Li et al, 2020). This target was achieved in 2019 with a total of
6.3 GW of additional renewable generation capacity being delivered, an increase of 24%
above 2018 levels, taking the total share of renewables to 25% of the total National Electricity
Market. This new capacity overachieves on the 20% by 2020 target leaving no further
legislated incentive for growth in new renewables, however at the close of 2019 a future 37
GW of new renewable generation had received development approval, driven primarily by
favourable commercial factors (Clean Energy Regulator, 2020; DISER, 2020a).

No new policies have been developed by the current Commonwealth Government and in the
absence of additional national level policy directives, many Australian states and territories
have introduced their own renewable energy and emission reduction targets (Table 7.2).
South Australia, Tasmania and Queensland are developing significant renewable generation
and storage capabilities. Tasmania already regularly achieves over 100% renewable
generation and exports the excess to the mainland states. South Australia also regularly
generates over 50% of their supply from renewables. The Australian Energy Market Operator
(AEMO), foresees renewables offering the least-cost solution to replace aging fossil fuel fired
generators as they are retired in the coming decades (Clean Energy Regulator, 2020; DISER,
2020a; Li et al, 2020).

Table 7.2 2020 State level Renewable Energy and Emissions Targets.

State Renewables Net Emissions

Tasmania 100% by 2022 Zero by 2050

Australian Capital Territory 100% by 2020 Zero by 2045

South Australia 100% by 2030 Zero by 2050

Victoria 40% by 2025 Zero by 2050

Queensland 50% by 2030 Zero by 2050

New South Wales Zero by 2050

Northern Territory 50% by 2030

Western Australia Zero by 2050

In the fiscal year 2018-19, total electricity generation in Australia rose by about 1% to 264,000
GWh. Renewable generation across all technologies increased by 17% contributing 20% of
total generation, led by a 50% increase in solar and 17% increase in wind generation (DISER,
2020a). The steady increase in renewable generation continues to drive significant reductions
in greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity generation sector. Emissions from the sector
in 2020 were 172 MtCO2e and are projected to decline to 111 MtCO2e by 2030 (DISER,
2020b). The latest cumulative emissions projections from all sectors suggest that Australia’s
abatement task to reach the 2030 target is between 56 – 123 MtCO2e. If the 2020 target

36
overachievement is included in projections, Australia will overachieve on the 2030 target by
an estimated 336 to 403 MtCO2e. These 2020 emissions projections include savings
attributed to over 24GW of deployed small scale (rooftop) PV and the impact of the COVID 19
pandemic which has restricted transport activity and increased uptake of digital (teleworking)
technologies (DISER 2020b). By 2030 small scale (rooftop) PV is projected to be the largest
electricity generation type comprising ~30% of grid connected capacity.

In Australia, jurisdiction for the legislation, permitting and regulation of geothermal exploration
and development is a State and Territory government responsibility. Currently there are no
national policies or grant structures which specifically target geothermal technologies. There
has been some support for individual projects however by State and local Governments under
general funding mechanisms for renewable technologies and infrastructure.

7.3 Geothermal Project Development

7.3.1 Projects Commissioned
Construction is nearing completion on the AU$57 million Gippsland Regional Aquatic Centre
(GRAC) in Traralgon, a regional centre located in south-eastern Victoria, with the centre
expected to open in early 2021. The project involves the construction of a large aquatic centre
including 5 pools, splash park, 2 large water slides, gym, fitness rooms, and wellness suites. A
geothermal heating system provides heating for the pool water along with the air in the pool
hall. After the successful completion of a 24hr flow test, the geothermal system was
commissioned in November 2020. The production bore provides water at approximately 68oC
from the Traralgon aquifer and the rejected water pumped back to aquifer via the injection
bore is between 40 - 53oC depending on the heat load required. The geothermal system is
designed to maintain sealed conditions and avoid geochemical precipitation by avoiding
exposure of the geothermal water supply to atmospheric conditions, pumping and injecting
within the same aquifer and maintaining positive operation pressures. Maximum power is
3000kWt with about <350ML/year of groundwater circulation required to produce <2800kW
of geothermal energy. It is anticipated that the use of geothermal energy in this project will
save around $400k per year in gas costs and offset about 700 tonnes of carbon emissions
annually.

Interest in the Australian Hot Springs and wellness sector is flourishing with seven projects
nationwide either under construction or finalising planning and finance. This includes the
Burketown, Talaroo Station and Cunnamulla projects in Queensland, the Alba, Metunga and
Saltwater Hot Springs projects all under construction in Victoria, and the Tawarri Hot Springs
project in Perth, Western Australia.

Commenced in 2018, a $13 m (total) expansion to the existing Peninsula Hot Spring facility at
Mornington Peninsula Victoria has progressed to the third development phase. Early
development stages saw the construction of a new wing of hot pools, saunas, an ice cave and
an outdoor amphitheatre. The second and latest stage involving the construction of luxury on
site glamping accommodation is complete and opened in December 2020.

37
Figure 7.4 Geothermal heating system plant room at the Gippsland Aquatic Centre, Victoria, Australia.

7.3.2 Projects Operational

Construction and commissioning of a 310 kW ORC geothermal power plant in the remote
community of Winton, Queensland was completed in 2019, and the plant began operation in
December 2019. Production statistics for the Winton plant are not yet available.

Winton township is located in central western Queensland with a population of about 900
people. It is situated toward the end of the existing regional transmission grid and suffers from
poor security of supply, relying on diesel backup generators when common brown outs and
power interruptions occur. The town’s water supply is sourced from the Great Artesian Basin.
Water emerges from a networked bore system drilled to 1330m depth at 86°C with a flow rate
of 77 l/s which was originally cooled in ponds before being reticulated throughout the town for
use. The small modular ORC plant is comprised of two 155kW modules which generate
electricity using the heat from the town water supply. Generation from the plant is
automatically modulated to match water consumption.

38
Figure 7.5 Winton Shire ORC geothermal plant.

7.4 Research Highlights

Government funded geothermal research is largely conducted by government research
institutions and universities, supported by both State and Commonwealth Government
funding including the Australian Research Council (ARC) and the Australian Renewable Energy
Agency (ARENA). As the principal agency for the funding and support of renewable energy
technologies in Australia, ARENA’s objectives are to increase the supply and competitiveness
of renewable energy in Australia. ARENA is currently funding a three-year study, due for
completion in 2022, on the performance of ‘deep well direct exchange’ (DWDX) ground
source heat pumps installed at the Fairwater Living Lab, a residential community in Western
Sydney (ARENA, 2019).

A PhD project to study and review the social, environmental and economic impacts of hot
springs on communities across Australia commenced in 2020 at the Victoria University,
Melbourne. This study is jointly funded and supervised by 10 hot springs industry tourism
operators, the Australian Geothermal Association (AGA) and the Victoria University School for
the Visitor Economy.

7.5 Other National Activities

7.5.1 Geothermal Education
No new educational programmes commenced in 2020.

39
7.5.2 Conferences
No national geothermal conference program was held in 2020.

7.5.3 Publications

Aditya, G.R, and Narsilio, G.A., (2020). Environmental assessment of hybrid ground source
heat pump systems. Geothermics, v87, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geothermics.2020.101868.
Aditya, G.R, Mikhaylova, O., Narsilio, G.A.,and Johnston, I.W. (2020). Comparative costs of
ground source heat pumps against other forms of heating and cooling for different climatic
conditions. Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments, v42,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seta.2020.100824.
Avanthi Isaka, B.L. and Ranjith, P.G., (2020). Investigation of temperature- and pressure-
dependant flow characteristics of supercritical carbon dioxide - induced fractures in Harcourt
granite: Application to CO2-based enhanced geothermal systems. International Heat and
Mass Transfer v158, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2020.119931
Ballesteros, M, Pujol, M., Aymard, D. and Marshall, R., 2020, Hot Sedimentary Aquifer
Geothermal Resource Potential of the early Permian Kingia Sandstone, North Perth Basin,
Western Australia, GRC Transactions, Vol 44.

Heidari, A., Esmaeel Nezhad, A.E., Tavakoli, A., Rezaei, N., Gandoman, F.H. Reza Miveh, M.,
Ahmadi, A., and MAlekpur, M.m (2020) . A comprehensive review of renewable energy
resources for electricity generation in Australia. Front. Energy, v14, Pages 510–529.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11708-020-0671-6
Li, H.X., Edwards, D.J., Reza Hosseini, M., and Costin, G.P., (2020).
A review on renewable energy transition in Australia: An updated depiction. Journal of
Cleaner Production, January 2020, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118475

7.6 Useful Websites

https://www.australiangeothermal.org.au/

http://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/energy/resources/geothermal-energy-resources

http://www.wearepeak.com.au/wintongeothermal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArML2QVbH08

https://www.uts.edu.au/sites/default/files/LNCLET_Winton_Fact_sheet_finalV3.pdf

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=winton+geothermal&docid=608050502521259273&m
id=9138C7D7AD9E3E7D60E19138C7D7AD9E3E7D60E1&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=416280545936162

http://www.latrobe.vic.gov.au/Building_and_Planning/Major_Projects/Latrobe_Valley_Sports_
and_Community_Initiative/Gippsland_Regional_Aquatic_Centre

40
7.7 Future Activity
Key activities scheduled for 2021 include completion of the Gippsland Aquatic Centre in
Victoria and commencement of construction of a number of hot springs developments in
Victoria and Western Australia.

7.8 References
Australian Geothermal Association (AGA), (2019). Geothermal energy is already a clean, cost-
effective and reliable 24/7 energy solution for Australia. Report prepared for the Australian
Geothermal Association. https://0f7740a0-ff70-4bb8-9bda-
923c19113c61.filesusr.com/ugd/75fc4e_22ab5e704a5546fb9f68ed44fb620e8d.pdf

Ballesteros, M., Pujol, M., Walsh, F., and Teubner, J., (2019). Geothermal energy electricity
generation in Australia: recent developments and future potential. Report prepared for the
Australian Geothermal Association. https://0f7740a0-ff70-4bb8-9bda-
923c19113c61.filesusr.com/ugd/75fc4e_cb45515bc7444756adfde8ea5c6a3206.pdf

Beardsmore, G., Davidson, C., Ricard, L., Pujol, M., Larking, A., and Bendall, B., 2021—Current
directions for geothermal energy development in Australia. Proceedings of World Geothermal
Congress 2020+1, Reykjavik, Iceland, April – October 2021. 7pp.

Budd, A.R. and Gerner, E.J. (2015). Externalities are the dominant cause of faltering in
Australian Geothermal Energy Development. Proceedings World Geothermal Congress 2015
Melbourne, Australia, 19-25 April 2015. Available at:
https://pangea.stanford.edu/ERE/db/WGC/papers/WGC/2015/04015.pdf

Clean Energy Regulator (Commonwealth of Australia), (2020). The Renewable Energy Target
2019 Administrative Report: The Acceleration in Renewables Investment in 2019. Available
online
http://www.cleanenergyregulator.gov.au/DocumentAssets/Documents/The%20Renewable%2
0Energy%20Target%202019%20Administrative%20Report%20%E2%80%93%20The%20accel
eration%20in%20renewables%20delivered%20in%202019.pdf

Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, (2020a). Australian Energy Update
2020. Available online at:
https://www.energy.gov.au/sites/default/files/Australian%20Energy%20Statistics%202020%20
Energy%20Update%20Report_0.pdf

Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, (2020b). Australia’s emissions

projections 2020. Available online at: https://www.industry.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-
12/australias-emissions-projections-2020.pdf

Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE), (2019). Climate Solutions.
Available online at: https://www.environment.gov.au/climate-change/publications/climate-
solutions-package

Li, H.X., Edwards, D.J., Reza Hosseini, M., and Costin, G.P., (2020). A review on renewable
energy transition in Australia: An updated depiction. Journal of Cleaner Production 242;
118475.

41
 8. European Union
Samuel Carrara and Luca Giovannelli
European Commission:
Joint Research Centre, Netherlands and DG Research and Innovation, CDMA 03/037, B-1049 Brussels.
[email protected] [email protected]

8.1 Introduction
The European Commission supports the development of the geothermal sector through an
array of activities based on two major policy initiatives:

• the European Green Deal 5 and,

• the Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan) 6.

In 2019 the European Commission presented the European Green Deal (EGD), a package of
policy initiatives to tackle climate and environmental-related challenges and enable European
citizens and businesses to benefit from a sustainable green transition. EGD ambitions include
European carbon neutrality by 2050 with an intermediate target of 55% emissions reduction
compared to 1990 levels by 2030. These goals received the approval of the European Council
and Parliament as part of the new European Climate Law in 2021. The Communication on the
European Green Deal was accompanied with a roadmap of policies ambitiously reducing
emissions, investing in cutting-edge research and innovation, and preserving Europe’s natural
environment. To initiate the necessary changes to achieve the intermediate target the
European Commission introduced the 'Fit for 55' package.

The European Commission cooperates closely with its Member States to increase support for
geothermal energy. The SET-Plan steering group has adopted the Deep Geothermal
Implementation Plan (DG-IP) with a Deep Geothermal Implementation Working Group (DG-
IWG) established to advance the DG-IP.

The European Commission continued to support geothermal energy research and

development via funding programs such as Horizon 2020, its successor Horizon Europe, and
the European Regional Development Fund.

8.2 Changes to Policy Supporting Geothermal Development

Geothermal energy is promoted by the Climate and Energy objectives of the European Union
(EU). The regulatory and policy framework for geothermal energy is complex, and national and
regional frameworks can vary significantly from the European level through to national / region
policies applicable to specific locations (countries, regions, districts).

The European Climate and Energy Framework is structured around two main areas:

• Climate and energy targets for renewable energy, energy efficiency, and carbon emission
reduction and related legislative texts, such as the Renewable Energy Directive and the
Energy Efficiency Directive.

5 https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en
6 https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/research-and-technology/strategic-energy-technology-plan_en

42
• The Emission Trading System (ETS), the largest existing carbon market and associated
mechanisms.

The Renewable Energy Directive has introduced key provisions for the development of
innovative energy technologies. The directive requires binding targets for the share of
renewables by 2030 and countries are obliged to specify the sources of renewable energies
to be developed. Under the directive priority of dispatch and priority access is given to
geothermal electricity, which provides investors with certainty when supporting demonstration
projects. Feed-in tariffs or premiums that incentivise investment in new deep geothermal
projects were also established. The ‘Fit for 55’ package is proposed to assist with achieving
the increased ambition of a 55% reduction of GHG emissions by 2030 compared to 1990
levels and includes the realigning of various directives. This includes the revision of the
Renewable Energy Directive with a higher binding target of 40% for the share of renewable
energy sources in European energy consumption by 2030. Based on the same rationale, the
package also contains a legislative proposal for the revision of the EU ETS.

To meet the EU’s 2030 energy and climate targets, EU Member States have established 10-
year integrated national energy and climate plans (NECP) from 2021 to 2030. The NECPs were
introduced by the Regulation on the governance of the energy union and climate action
(EU/2018/1999) 7. The national plans outline how the EU Member States intend to address
energy efficiency, renewables, emissions reductions, and research and innovation. This
approach requires a coordination of purpose across all governmental departments. It also
provides a level of planning that will ease public and private investment. The fact that all EU
Member States are using a similar template means that they can work together to make
efficiency gains across borders. All the EU Member States were asked to submit their plans
before the end of 2019. EU countries have submitted their national long-term strategies and
they must ensure consistency between long-term-strategies and the NECPs. The NECPs are
published on the European Commission 8 website. Member States submit progress reports
every two years.

On the 18th May 2022, the European Commission presented the REPowerEU Plan 9, as a
response to the energy market disruption caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in order to
end the EU's dependence on Russian fossil fuels and at the same time tackle the climate
crisis. The REPowerEU Plan introduces measures for energy savings, diversification of energy
supplies, and accelerated roll-out of renewable energy to replace fossil fuels in homes,
industry and power generation. Some of the REPowerEU measures have a direct impact for
geothermal energy, such as:

• Increasing the 2030 target for renewables from 40% to 45% under the Fit for 55
package,
• Doubling of the rate of deployment of heat pumps, and measures to integrate
geothermal and solar thermal energy in modernised district and communal heating
systems.
• The Commission recommendation to tackle slow and complex permitting for major
renewable projects, and a targeted amendment to the Renewable Energy Directive to
recognise renewable energy as an overriding public interest. Dedicated ‘go-to' areas

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 for renewables should be put in place by Member States with shortened and simplified
permitting processes in areas with lower environmental risks.
• Intensifying the work on the supply of critical raw materials and preparation of a
legislative proposal.
• Support through €225 billion in loans available under the Recovery and Resilience
Facility.

Geothermal developments have been shown to benefit from government support. Several EU
Member States have implemented instruments that have resulted in an acceleration of
geothermal development (Sanyal et al. 2016). Policy support instruments for geothermal
energy include both push and pull mechanisms. These differ between Member States and
depend on the technology in question, i.e., power production, direct use, ground source heat
pumps (GSHP). For geothermal power, support schemes at EU or national level include feed-in
tariffs, feed-in premiums, subsidies, loans, tenders, quota systems, net-metering and tax
regulation. For geothermal heating and cooling (including GSHP), subsidies, loans, quota
systems, tax regulation and price-based mechanisms are available. A Joint Research Centre
(JRC) report details the policy instruments available for geothermal electricity, and heating and
cooling (Shortall et al. 2019).

The geothermal energy sector is also supported at a European level through the Cohesion
Fund, the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund and the
European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (ETIP-DG 2018a). Financial instruments
provide technical assistance, soft loans or revolving funding.

Horizon 2020 (H2020) was the main EU R&I programme with nearly EUR 80 billion of funding
available over seven years (2014 to 2020) which has provided funding to geothermal R&D
projects since its inception.

Horizon Europe 10 is the successor of Horizon 2020 and the budget proposal for Research and
Innovation is for EUR 95.5 billion over the period 2021-2027. The programme commenced in
June 2021 and includes topics on geothermal energy development under the Climate, Energy
and Mobility subprogramme.

The European Investment Bank (EIB), owned by the Member States, works closely with other
EU institutions to implement EU policy focusing on priorities such as climate action and
strategic infrastructure. It supports projects through loans, technical assistance, guarantees or
venture capital (ETIP-DG 2018a). The EIB together with the European Commission is
implementing the InnovFin Energy Demo Projects (EDP) scheme which provides loans for first-
of-a kind projects. InnovFin aims to facilitate and accelerate access to finance for innovative
businesses and projects in unproven markets in Europe. The scheme helps by reducing the
financial risk of demonstration projects and offering equity and loans tailored to the needs of a
project.

Since 2021 the InvestEU Programme has brought together the multitude of EU financial
instruments previously available and expanded the successful model of the Investment Plan
for Europe, the Juncker Plan. The Commission will further boost investment, innovation and
job creation through InvestEU.

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8.3 Geothermal Project Development
8.3.1 Geothermal power
In 2021, six new geothermal power plants were commissioned across Europe with a combined
capacity of 35 MWe (four in Türkiye and two in Germany). The total installed capacity of the 142
operational geothermal power plants in Europe reached 3.4 GWe in 2021. The majority of the
installed capacity is located in two non-EU countries, specifically Türkiye (1.7 GWe) and Iceland
(0.8 GWe), with only 1 GWe located in the EU: almost entirely in Italy (0.9 GWe) (EGEC 2020,
EGEC 2021). According to EUROSTAT, the growth of installed geothermal power capacity in
the EU since 2010 stands at ~12% (Bruhn, et al., 2022).

The electricity generated from geothermal sources in Europe in 2021 amounted to almost 20
TWhe, with the largest contributions coming from Türkiye (7.8 TWh), Italy (5.9 TWhe) and
Iceland (5.6 TWhe). The capacity factor of the geothermal power plants was 76% which was
important for providing stability and security of supply in a period of uncertainty of electricity
availability (EGEC, 2022). In 2021, the annual electricity generation from geothermal sources in
the EU reached 7 TWhe (with Italy accounting for 6 TWhe), representing about 0.25% of the
total electricity generation (EGEC 2021, IEA 2021).

The year 2021 was characterised by a decrease in the commissioning of new geothermal
power plant capacity in Europe compared to preceding years. This was predominantly due to
a slowdown in the Turkish geothermal market, stemming from changes to the support
framework, which reduced the level of incentives for the development of new projects.

Despite the slowdown in the commissioning, 2021 was marked by renewed interest in
geothermal power because of the energy price crisis and from decarbonisation trends and
objectives. The renewed interest was associated with traditional geothermal regions with
relatively high temperature geothermal fields where larger power plants can be deployed.
However, there is also an interest for the regions with lower temperature geothermal
conditions where relatively smaller geothermal power plants could have a substantial impact
on the local electricity systems (EGEC, 2022).

EGEC (2022) reported that in 2021 there were 25 projects under development and 116
projects under investigation in Europe, notably in Italy, France, Germany and Türkiye. This
indicates a potential increase in the number of operational power plants in the upcoming
period. However, it is worth noting that in 2021 the prices of several key raw materials used in
the geothermal sector, particularly steel, experienced significant increase. The increase in
costs could have a negative impact on the development plans and timelines of proposed
geothermal projects.

8.3.2 Geothermal Direct Use

In 2021, the combined installed capacity for geothermal district heating and cooling in Europe
reached 5.6 GWth with 2.2 GWth in the EU. This capacity was distributed over 364 (Europe) and
262 (EU) geothermal district heating and cooling systems. Fourteen new geothermal district
heating and cooling systems were commissioned with a total capacity of more than 154 MWth.
France and the Netherlands each commissioned three systems, with France contributing more
than a third of the newly added capacity (51.5 MWth). The remaining capacity was added in
Germany, Finland, Poland and Switzerland. Importantly, the first geothermal district cooling
project was commissioned in Finland (EGEC, 2022).

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Iceland remained the dominant user of geothermal heating and cooling in Europe with 2.3
GWth of installed capacity meeting 90% of the space heating needs. Türkiye ranks second with
an installed capacity of 1.0 GWth (excluding geothermal capacities used for spas and bathing).

In the EU, France continued to be the leader in geothermal district heating and cooling with
470 MWth of installed capacity across 80 systems. The Netherlands have surpassed Germany
in total geothermal heating and cooling capacity reaching 369 MWth and 29 operational
projects (in contrast to Germany’s 356 MWth and 34 operational projects). Hungary (256 MWth),
Italy (181 MWth) and Poland (138 MWth) follow as other major users. Notably, France uses
around 2 TWth for district heating and cooling covering the needs of more than 1,000,000
people, while the geothermal energy produced in the Netherlands (1.5 TWth) is mostly used for
heat in the greenhouse sector (apart from a new geothermal district heating system in Den
Haag) (EGEC, 2022).

In 2021, the geothermal district heating and cooling sector witnessed growth after several
years of decline. With nine systems commissioned in 2020, the year 2021 marked a nearly
50% increase and a return to deployment levels not seen since the middle of the past decade.
Overall, the changes are happening gradually with a 3% growth rate in installed capacity
across Europe, and 6% within the EU (EGEC, 2022).

According to EGEC (2022), as of the end of 2021, there were 218 direct use projects under
development/investigation in Europe.

Similar to geothermal power, geothermal direct use is receiving more attention from local
authorities, businesses, and national governments due to factors such as the energy price
crisis, the increasing importance of heating and cooling sector in economic and
decarbonisation objectives.

8.3.3 Geothermal Heat Pumps

GSHPs are the most common and extensively used form of geothermal energy in Europe. As
of the end of 2020, there were 2.1 million installed systems with a combined capacity of
approximately 27 GWth (EGEC 2021). In comparison to 2020, the GSHP market experienced a
notable resurgence in 2021. The market recovery was marked by an increase in the number of
systems sold across the main GSHP markets in Europe, as well as an increase in the average
size and capacity of the systems (EGEC, 2022).

In 2021, a record number 120,900 systems were sold. Germany emerged as the largest
market in term of units sold, with 27,000 units deployed (a 10% increase compared to 2020),
surpassing Sweden’s 25,500 units deployed (an 8% increase compared to 2020). A significant
increase in units sold was observed in Finland (6% totalling 9,500 new units sold). Other
countries with higher growth rates included Switzerland and Poland (both at 25%), Austria
(59%), France (73%) and Belgium (35%), although with a smaller total number of units sold
(EGEC, 2022).

When examining the quantity of GSHPs installed per 1,000 households, Sweden and Finland
are leaders with 113 and 60 installations per 1,000 households respectively, while the number
of installations per 1,000 households in Estonia, Switzerland, Denmark and Austria were 33, 31,
29 and 24, respectively (EGEC, 2022).

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According to the EGEC (2022) unconsolidated database of large European geothermal heat
pump systems, there are 434 geothermal heat pump systems with borehole heat exchangers
exceeding 10 kilometres in length. Also, the same source identifies 172 open loop systems
with a capacity exceeding 100 kW. It is noteworthy to state that the EGEC data collection
process is ongoing.

GSHPs continue to be concentrated in a few key markets. Sweden, with a total of 630,000
installed units, and Germany, with 440,000 units, together account for over half of the total
number of geothermal heat pump systems in Europe. Despite the presence of several
countries with a significant number of GSHP installations the technology still holds a small
share of the heating and cooling sector and remains on the margin. The rise in the number of
units sold and their accelerated deployment in 2021 is likely a response to higher electricity
and gas prices (EGEC, 2022).

8.4 Research Highlights

In 2022, the first projects under Horizon Europe 11, were initiated. This program serves as the
European Union's primary funding initiative for research and innovation from 2021 to 2027. It
follows on from the H2020 program through which projects launched up until 2021 were
supported.

The programme facilitates collaboration and strengthens the impact of research and
innovation in developing, supporting and implementing EU policies while tackling global
challenges. It supports creating and disseminating knowledge and technologies.

Figure 8.1 shows the EU contribution to co-funded projects from 2004 to 2022. The chart
reports funds from Horizon Europe and preceding programmes, i.e. H2020 (2014-2020), FP6
(2002-2006) and FP7 (2007-2013), as well as from two other funding schemes called
Intelligent Energy Europe (IEE) and NER300. Projects are aggregated according to their start
date.

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 Figure 8.1: EU contribution to co-funded projects from 2004 to 2022. Source: JRC elaboration based on CORDIS

The total amount of funds granted by the EU to geothermal energy in the period is EUR 452
million, shared among 130 projects. During H2020 more R&D funding (EUR 268 million in 67
projects) was allocated than in any other previous funding programme (Figure 8.1). The 2022
funding through Horizon Europe is at the same level of funding provided by H2020 in 2021.

The most recent H2020 projects are listed in the following sections. Projects are sorted by:

• completed in 2022
• ongoing in 2022
• started in 2022

Each section lists projects in descending order of EU funding. A link to the relevant webpage
in the CORDIS project database is provided for each project in the footnotes if you are looking
for more information.

8.4.1 H2020 projects completed in 2022

GECO – Geothermal Emission Gas Control 12 (October 2018 – September 2022, EUR 15.6
million EU funding, topic: Demonstrate solutions that significantly reduce the cost of
renewable power generation)

The project applies an innovative technology, recently developed and proved successfully at
pilot scale in the context of the FP7 CarbFix project in Iceland, which can limit the production
of emissions from geothermal plants by condensing and re-injecting gases or turning the
emissions into commercial products. To both increase public acceptance and to generalise

12 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/818169

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this approach, it is being applied in four distinct geothermal systems in four different European
countries.

MEET – Multidisciplinary and multi-context demonstration of EGS exploration and

Exploitation Techniques and potentials 13 (May 2018 – January 2022, EUR 10.0 million EU
funding, topic: EGS in different geological conditions)

The project aims at demonstrating the viability and sustainability of EGS with electric and
thermal power generation in all kinds of geological settings with four main types of rocks:
granitic, volcanic, sedimentary, and metamorphic with various degrees of tectonic overprint by
faulting and folding.

GeoFit – Deployment of novel GEOthermal systems, technologies and tools for energy
efficient building retroFITting 14 (May 2018 – April 2022, EUR 7.9 million EU funding, topic:
Easier to install and more efficient geothermal systems for retrofitting buildings)

The project is an integrated industry-driven effort aimed at deployment of cost effective EGS
for energy-efficient building retrofitting. This entails the technical development of innovative
EGS and its components, namely, non-standard heat exchanger configurations, novel hybrid
heat pumps, and electrically driven compression heat pump systems. It also includes
developing a suite of heating and cooling components to be integrated with the novel GSHP
concepts, all specially designed to be applied in energy-efficient retrofitting projects.

GEOTHERMICA – ERA NET Cofund Geothermal 15 (January 2017 – June 2022, EUR 7.0
million EU funding, topic: Joint Actions towards the demonstration and validation of innovative
energy solutions)

The objective of the project is to combine the financial resources and know-how of 16
geothermal energy research and innovation programme owners and managers from 13
countries, to launch joint actions that demonstrate and validate novel concepts of geothermal
energy utilisation within the energy system, and that identify paths to commerciality. Joint
actions comprise joint calls and coordination activities, which will strengthen Europe’s
geothermal energy sector by building a tightly interconnected and well-coordinated network
of European funding agents.

GEO4CIVHIC – Most Easy, Efficient and Low Cost Geothermal Systems for Retrofitting
Civil and Historical Buildings 16 (April 2018 – March 2022, EUR 6.8 million EU funding, topic:
Easier to install and more efficient geothermal systems for retrofitting buildings)

The project identifies and, where missing, develops building block solutions in drilling
(machines and methods), ground source heat exchanger types, heat pumps and other
renewable energy/storage technologies, heating and cooling terminals with the focus on
every type of built environment, civil and historical. It will also generate and demonstrate the
easiest to install and most cost-effective geothermal energy solutions using and improving
existing and new tools.

13 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/792037
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Geo-Drill – Development of novel and cost-effective drilling technology for Geothermal
Systems 17 (April 2019 – September 2022, EUR 5.0 million EU funding, topic: Developing
solutions to reduce the cost and increase performance of renewable technologies)

The project aims to reduce drilling cost for geothermal systems with increased penetration
rate and reduced tripping due to improved tool durability. It proposes drilling technology
incorporating a bi-stable fluidic amplifier driven mud hammer, low cost 3D printed sensors &
cables, a drill monitoring system, and graphene-based materials and coatings.

REFLECT – Redefining geothermal fluid properties at extreme conditions to optimize

future geothermal energy extraction 18 (January 2020 – December 2022, EUR 5.0 million EU
funding, topic: Optimising manufacturing and system operation)

The efficiency of geothermal utilisation depends on the behaviour of fluids that transfer heat
between the geosphere and the engineered components of a power plant. The project aims
to avoid problems related to fluid chemistry rather than treat them. The physical and chemical
fluid properties are often poorly defined, as in situ sampling and measurements at extreme
conditions are difficult to date. Therefore, large uncertainties in current model predictions
prevail, which will be tackled by collecting new, high-quality data in critical areas. These data
will be implemented in a European geothermal fluid atlas and in predictive models for
providing recommendations on how to best operate geothermal systems for sustainable use.

GeoHex – Advanced material for cost-efficient and enhanced heat exchange performance
for geothermal application 19 (November 2019 – October 2022, EUR 5.0 million EU funding,
topic: Developing the next generation of renewable energy technologies)

The project relies on the use of low-cost carbon steel as the base material for heat
exchangers for geothermal power plants. Through modifying the surface with a nano porous
coating and controlling the surface chemistry (along with the surface structure), the project will
significantly improve the heat transfer performance of single phase and phase change heat
transfer processes, respectively.

GEOPRO – Accurate Geofluid Properties as key to Geothermal Process Optimisation 20

(November 2019 – October 2022, EUR 4.9 million EU funding, topic: Optimising manufacturing
and system operation)

The project aims at producing experimental data on heat and mass transfer behaviour of high-
concentration fluids in very high temperatures. Data serve as input in a set of new design and
operation tools that should allow the geothermal power plants to design and operate systems
more effectively, reducing the levelised cost of energy to competitive levels.

TEMPO – TEMPerature Optimisation for Low Temperature District Heating across Europe 21
(October 2017 – March 2022, EUR 3.1 million EU funding, topic: New heating and cooling
solutions using low grade sources of thermal energy)

17 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/815319
18 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/850626
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The technical and economic viability of today’s district heating networks are undermined by
transitions to highly efficient building stocks and ineffective business models which fail to
benefit all stakeholders. The project tackles this by (i) innovations to create low temperature
networks for increased network efficiency and integration options for renewable and residual
heat sources, and (ii) new business models to boost network competitiveness and
attractiveness for stakeholder investment.

CROWDTHERMAL – Community-based development schemes for geothermal energy 22

(September 2019 – August 2022, EUR 2.3 million EU funding, topic: Market Uptake support)

The project aims to empower the European public to directly participate in the development of
geothermal projects with the help of alternative financing schemes (crowdfunding) and social
engagement tools. In order to reach this goal, the project first increases the transparency of
geothermal projects and technologies by creating one to one links between geothermal
actors and the public so that a Social Licence to Operate (SLO) could be obtained. The project
is creating a social acceptance model for geothermal energy that will be used as a baseline in
subsequent actions for inspiring public support for geothermal energy. Parallel and synergetic
with this, the project is working out details of alternative financing and risk mitigation options
covering the different types of geothermal resources and various socio-geographical settings.

ENeRAG – Excellency Network Building for Comprehensive Research and Assessment of

Geofluids 23 (October 2018 – March 2022, EUR 1.0 million EU funding, topic: Twinning)

The project significantly strengthens research and innovation capacities in geofluids’ research
and aligns geological resource assessment of groundwater, geothermal energy and
hydrothermal mineral resources at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE, Hungary) by capacity
enhancement through cooperation with Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) and University of
Milan (UMIL, Italy), with seven supporting stakeholders.

GeoTwinn – Strengthening research in the Croatian Geological Survey: Geoscience-

Twinning to develop state-of-the-art subsurface modelling capability and scientific
impact 24 (October 2018 – January 2022, EUR 1.0 million EU funding, topic: Twinning)

This project addresses the need to spread excellence and widen participation across the
European Union by collaboration across research institutions. It proposes to twin the Croatian
Geological Survey (HGI-CGS) with the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland and the
British Geological Survey of the United Kingdom Research and Innovation, to significantly
strengthen HGI-CGS’s research, and transform its capability in a number of areas, such as (i)
3D geological surveying and modelling; (ii) groundwater flow and contaminant transport
modelling; (iii) geological hazards; (iv) geothermal energy.

GeoUS – Geothermal Energy in Special Underground Structures 25 (January 2020 –

December 2022, EUR 0.8 million EU funding, topic: Twinning)

The project will enable the Visoka Skola Banska - Technical University of Ostrava (VSB-TUO)
in the Czech Republic to enhance the scientific excellence of its personnel and collaborate
with leading international research institutions in the field. Young researchers will have the

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23 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/810980
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chance to study fundamental and practical aspects of developing geothermal energy
sustainably. Research results will be shared with local and national authorities.

THERM – Transport of Heat in hEteRogeneous Media 26 (September 2020 – August 2022,

EUR 0.2 million EU funding, topic: Individual Fellowships)

To develop and test new technologies for energy production and storage in geothermal
reservoirs, deep understanding of heat transport in fractured media is critically needed. The
project focuses on the investigation of heat transport and associated thermo-hydro-
mechanical processes occurring during the lifetime of a geothermal reservoir.

8.4.2 H2020 projects ongoing in 2022

GeoSmart – Technologies for geothermal to enhance competitiveness in smart and
flexible operation 27 (June 2019 – September 2024, EUR 15.0 million EU funding, topic:
Demonstrate highly performant renewable technologies for combined heat and power (CHP)
generation and their integration in the EU's energy system)

The project works on methods to store heat energy when demand is low so as to release it
when demand is high. It also plans to create a hybrid cooling system for the organic Rankine
cycle plant that will prevent efficiency degradation due to seasonal changes. The aim is to
allow geothermal plants to cost-effectively respond to different heat and power demands.

EXCITE – Electron and X-ray microscopy Community for structural and chemical Imaging
Techniques for Earth materials 28 (May 2021 – April 2024, EUR 5.0 million EU funding, topic:
Integrating Activities for Starting Communities)

Understanding earth materials is critical to creating a sustainable, carbon-neutral society due

to their involvement in many vital processes. The project, comprised of 15 European
institutions for electron and X-ray microscopy, will enable access to high-end microscopy
facilities to develop community-driven technological imaging advancements that will
strengthen and extend the current implementation of leading-edge microscopy for earth
materials research. The project will integrate joint research programmes with networking,
training, and transnational access activities to enable both academia and industry to answer
critical questions in earth materials science and technology. As such, the project will develop
correlative imaging technologies and provide access to world-class facilities to new and non-
expert users that are often hindered from engaging in problem-solving microscopy of earth
materials.

IMPROVE – Innovative Multi-disciPlinary European Research training netwOrk on

VolcanoEs 29 (September 2021 – August 2025, EUR 4.0 million EU funding, topic: Innovative
Training Networks)

The use of innovative methods in volcano science will advance the knowledge of volcanic and
geothermal systems and may also result in economic and social benefits. The project will
perform research to define the underground structure and dynamics of volcanic geothermal
systems aiming to significantly impact volcano science and the science–industry relationship.

26 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/838508
27 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/818576
28 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101005611
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The project will employ exploration and monitoring approaches and disciplines such as
geology, geophysics, geochemistry, engineering and informatics. The project consortium will
train a new generation of volcano scientists to manage interdisciplinary understanding and
knowledge, promote innovation and cooperate in an inter-sectorial open science
environment.

ORCHYD – Novel Drilling Technology Combining Hydro-Jet and Percussion for ROP
Improvement in deep geothermal drilling 30 (January 2021 – December 2023, EUR 4.0 million
EU funding, topic: Advanced drilling and well completion techniques for cost reduction in
geothermal energy)

Geothermal energy presents challenges in the form of low heat recovery efficiency, long
drilling times and significant initial investment costs. The project will meet these challenges by
developing ground-breaking drilling technology that could significantly improve drilling speed
and reduce cost while providing the means necessary to improve energy recovery. The goal is
to make geothermal energy more economically viable, securing another valuable energy
source in Europe's fight against climate change.

OptiDrill – Optimisation of Geothermal Drilling Operation with Machine Learning 31 (January

2021 – December 2023, EUR 4.0 million EU funding, topic: Advanced drilling and well
completion techniques for cost reduction in geothermal energy)

Drilling for geothermal energy requires technology and equipment solutions that ensure
confidence, performance, and optimum cost-effectiveness balance. The project will introduce
an innovative drilling advisory system based on a combination of enhanced monitoring
systems and multiple data-driven machine learning modules for the analysis, prognosis and
optimisation, each module responsible for one aspect of drilling or completion process.
Bringing together a diverse team of drilling experts, the project aspires to enhance and
digitise decision making and reporting, optimise the drilling process and provide utilisable
resources for future application.

EASYGO – Efficiency and Safety in Geothermal Operations 32 (November 2020 – October

2024, EUR 3.4 million EU funding, topic: Innovative Training Networks)

The project develops system components, monitoring concepts and operational paradigms to
enhance the safety and efficiency of geothermal systems. By connecting academia and
industry with real-scale research infrastructure, the project is preparing young researchers
with both experimental and practical knowledge.

MODERATE – Magma Outgassing During Eruptions and Geothermal Exploration 33

(September 2021 – August 2026, EUR 2.8 million EU funding, topic: ERC Consolidator Grants)

Understanding magma-gas coupling is vital to understanding volcanic activity and its response
to drilling operations when harnessing magma energy. The project will therefore determine
the impact of external forcing mechanisms on the kinetics of vesiculation and quantify the
development of magma permeability. It will also define thermo-mechanical strategies to
moderate magma outgassing and reduce the risk of volcanic eruption associated with drilling

30 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101006752
31https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101006964
32 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/956965
33 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101001065

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and borehole operations. A map of magma vesiculation and permeability under a wider range
of conditions and stress scenarios than ever achieved before will help control permeability in
magma and moderate magma outgassing. This will enable direct access to magma energy
and eventually provide a means to control outgassing and reduce the possibility of an
eruption.

MaPSI – Mathematical and Numerical Modelling of Process-Structure Interaction in

Fractured Geothermal Systems 34 (August 2021 – July 2026, EUR 2.0 million EU funding,
topic: ERC Consolidator Grants)

Complex dynamics such as boiling of geothermal fluids and deformation of fractured rock,
resulting from the development and production of high-temperature geothermal resources,
are not well understood. The project will (i) provide the necessary mathematical models and
simulation technology to assess subsurface process-structure interaction in the context of
hydraulic and thermal stimulation during the development and production of high-temperature
geothermal resources; (ii) develop pioneering mathematical and numerical models to simulate
multiphase flow and phase-change thermo-poroelastic media with deforming and propagating
fractures; (iii) advance expertise and improve understanding of coupled processes in high-
temperature geothermal systems development and production aiming at sustainable resource
exploitation.

BigMac – Microfluidic Approaches mimicking BIoGeological conditions to investigate

subsurface CO2 recyclings 35 (November 2017 – July 2023, EUR 2.0 million EU funding, topic:
ERC Consolidator Grants)

The objective of this project is to develop and use “Biological Geological Laboratories on a
Chip - BioGLoCs” mimicking reservoir conditions in order to gain greater understanding in the
mechanisms associated with the biogeological conversion process of CO2 to methane at pore
scale. New generic lab scale tools are also being made available for investigating geological-
related topics (enhanced oil recovery, deep geothermal energy, bioremediation of
groundwater, shale gas recovery).

PRD-Trigger – Precipitation triggered rock dynamics: the missing mesoscopic link 36

(February 2020 – January 2025, EUR 1.5 million EU funding, topic: ERC Starting Grants)

Cyclic changes during rock weathering or at geothermal or CO2-sequestration sites lead to

precipitation-dissolution cycles of salts, natural constituents of brines inside rocks, which
might degrade rocks’ structure. What triggers rock dynamics into fracturing during salt
precipitation? Can we ultimately control this trigger? The project advocates that the answer
lies at the mesoscale, the scale of the pore network. It will combine 4D X-ray imaging with a
mesoscopic numerical simulator integrated into the image analysis workflow to identify key
factors in precipitation-induced damage. Damage control and crack healing will then be
demonstrated on core-scale rocks.

34 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101002507
35 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/725100
36 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/850853

54
GEoREST – predictinG EaRthquakES induced by fluid injecTion 37 (February 2019 – January
2024, EUR 1.4 million EU funding, topic: ERC Starting Grants)

Forecasting injection-induced earthquakes is a big challenge that must be overcome to

deploy geo-energies. The objective of this project is to develop a novel methodology to
predict and mitigate induced seismicity. The project proposes an interdisciplinary approach
that integrates the thermo-hydro-mechanical-seismic (THMS) processes that occur in the
subsurface as a result of fluid injection.

MATHROCKS – Multiscale Inversion of Porous Rock Physics using High-Performance

Simulators: Bridging the Gap between Mathematics and Geophysics 38 (April 2018 – March
2023, EUR 0.8 million EU funding, topic: Research and Innovation Staff Exchange)

The project develops and exchanges knowledge on applied mathematics, high-performance

computing, and geophysics to better characterise the Earth’s subsurface. The aim is to better
understand the physics of porous rocks in the context of elasto-acoustic wave propagation
phenomena. To verify and validate the developed tools and methods, results are applied to:
characterise hydrocarbon reservoirs, determine optimal locations for geothermal energy
production, analyse earthquake propagation, and jointly invert deep-azimuthal resistivity and
elasto-acoustic borehole measurements.

ARMISTICE – Predicting earthquakes caused by deep fluid injection for geothermal

energy production 39 (September 2021 – August 2023, EUR 0.2 million EU funding, topic:
Individual Fellowships)

An innovative solution to mitigate climate change is to combine CCS and exploitation of

supercritical geothermal systems (SCGS) in volcanic areas. One hurdle of this promising geo-
energy is the seismic risk resulting from deep fluid injection. Assessing its seismic hazard is
challenging due to the complexity of the problem. This is why the project will couple CO2 flow
models with high-temperature rheology of rock and faults. It will also extend current models of
subsurface CO2 and water flow to very high temperatures, above 375°C. Ultimately, it will
determine the potential for induced seismicity in CCS-SCGS and the conditions for safe
exploitation.

8.4.3 H2020 projects started in 2022

HOCLOOP – A circular by design environmentally friendly geothermal energy solution
based on a horizontal closed loop 40 (October 2022 – March 2026, EUR 5.0 million EU
funding, topic: Solutions for more sustainable geothermal energy)

Below the Earth’s surface, there’s a powerful and reliable source of renewable energy that can
significantly contribute to solving the energy problems. Just 0.1% of Earth’s total heat content
could meet the energy needs for over 1 million years. While geothermal energy is not new, it
remains limited to particular regions, representing less than 1% of the global energy
production. The conventional technology relies primarily on scarce hot permeable aquifers to
extract heat. To address this challenge, the project will use a horizontal closed-loop solution

37 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/801809
38 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/777778
39 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/882733
40 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101083558

55
combined with innovative CO2-based heat carrier fluids to extract geothermal energy from
deep or shallow formation rocks. This solution will facilitate the sustainable exploitation of
geothermal sources in new regions.

COMPASS - Sustainable and cost-efficient Concepts enabling green power production

frOM suPercriticAl/Superhot geothermal wellS 41 (November 2022 – October 2025, EUR 4.2
million EU funding, topic: Solutions for more sustainable geothermal energy)

Geothermal wells drilled into superhot conditions may provide access to new resources below
the reach of conventional geothermal wells. Moreover, such wells could yield significantly
more power than conventional ones. This would reduce the environmental footprint of
geothermal utilisation both in land use and in the number of wells required for power
generation. The project will address the main technical challenges of drilling into superhot
formations. Those challenges include well integrity issues due to high temperature and
corrosive fluid chemistry. The project will deliver improved and innovative well design to solve
those challenges. Novel foam cement solutions suitable for high-temperature formations will
be developed to improve well integrity, and cost-effective laser cladding will be used to
improve corrosion protection inside the casing pipes.

DeepU - Deep U-tube heat exchanger breakthrough: combining laser and cryogenic gas
for geothermal energy exploitation 42 (March 2022 – February 2025, EUR 3.2 million EU
finding, topic: EIC Pathfinder Open 2021)

Easily accessible deep geothermal resources for heating and power are fundamental for
accelerating the decarbonisation of energy supplies in Europe. The project seeks to make
geothermal energy accessible almost anywhere, providing a stable, uninterrupted, baseload
energy to meet global CO2 emission reduction targets. The ultimate goal is to extract energy
from underground using a deep closed-loop connection in the shape of a U-tube exchanger
by combining laser and cryogenic gas into a single technological drilling solution. This
innovative technology will liquefy and vitrify the rocks, leaving the borehole ready for heat
exchange immediately after drilling.

CEEGS - Novel CO2-based electrothermal energy and geological storage system 43

(November 2022 – October 2025, EUR 3.0 million EU funding, topic: Next generation of
renewable energy technologies)

The phasing out of fossil fuels and the achievement of the ‘net zero emissions’ target is a top
priority in the EU. In the context of an ambitious energy transition, it is important to design
cross-sectoral technology that is both technologically and economically feasible. This project
will develop a renewable energy storage system based on the transcritical CO2 cycle, CO2
storage in geological formations and geothermal heat extraction. Extended capacity is
obtained due to the underground system. The project will follow a three-phase approach. The
first phase progresses from theoretical principles to models and simulations. The second
phase moves to systems verification, and the third phase includes social, economic and
sustainability assessments.

41https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101084623
42 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101046937
43 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101084376

56
SAPHEA - Developing a single access point for the market uptake of geothermal energy
use in multivalent heating and cooling networks across Europe 44 (October 2022 – June
2025, EUR 1.9 million EU funding, topic: Market Uptake Measures of renewable energy
systems)

Heating and cooling accounts for half of the EU’s energy consumption, making it the biggest
energy end-use sector. Yet only 22% of this energy is generated from renewable sources. The
project will increase this amount by encouraging the use of geothermal energy for district
heating and cooling. The project will create a digital hub containing toolboxes and guidelines
to support early-stage stakeholders. It will also contain advice on investment decisions as well
as strategy planning for municipalities across Europe. The users of the hub will be empowered
by targeted training to draft development scenarios and roadmaps taking into consideration
the specific geological and socio-economic boundary conditions in their respective region.

TWINN2SET – Twinning to sustainable energy transition 45 (October 2022 – September

2025, EUR 1.5 million EU funding, topic: Twinning)

Greece is lagging behind in its transition to be carbon neutral by 2050, with a large share of
power generated by natural gas (with coal at peak times) and limited carbon capture and
storage. Geosciences play a fundamental role by tackling important energy transition themes
through the use of underground resources, such as geological storage of hydrogen, CO2 and
deep geothermal energy. The project consists of a capacity building & mentoring programme
in the above three areas that will be complemented by an exploratory research project
focusing on underground hydrogen storage, fostering interdisciplinary competencies at the
interplay of a promising energy vector with subsurface reservoir characterisation, modelling
and monitoring.

Genies - Gas-water-mineral interfaces in confined spaces: unravelling and upscaling

coupled hydro-geochemical processes 46 (September 2022 – August 2027, EUR 1.5 million
EU funding, topic: ERC Starting Grants)

With the European Green Deal and its goal to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions in
Europe by 2050, the increased use of the subsurface is inevitable. The large-scale
exploitation of the subsurface for storage (e.g. gases) and extraction activities (e.g. geothermal
energy) will create large scale perturbations that can destabilize the rock and allow leakage of
contaminants into groundwater. Therefore, there is a need of a sound understanding of
coupled hydro-geochemical processes arising from such activities, as well as tools to predict
these impacts reliably. Reactive Transport Modeling (RTM) has so far proven to be the most
powerful tool to track the fate of subsurface contaminants from laboratory up to geological
timescales. However, the simplistic approaches to describe the gas-water-mineral interactions
in RTM do not accurately capture the complex processes in geological environments, as they
do not consider relevant processes that take place at the microscopic scale. These processes
need to be upscaled (integrated) into RTM. This requires detailed insights into mineral
crystallization processes involving gas in confined porous media, particularly (i) coupled
mineral dissolution and precipitation with gas generation and (ii) mineral nucleation at the
water-gas interface, since both affect the transport properties and mineralogical reactivity of
the rock matrix. The project will integrate cutting-edge lab-on-a-chip, i.e. miniaturized

44 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101075510
45 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101079246
46 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101040341

57
(microfluidic) experiments with advanced, in operando, micro-analytical techniques and an
interdisciplinary environment to provide the insights needed for upscaling. This project will
provide high-fidelity experimental datasets that will bring new theoretical insights into hydro-
geochemical processes involving gases. The resulting extended RTM will allow reliable
modelling of the fate of contaminants and consequently reduce uncertainty when assessing
the integrity of subsurface storage and extraction systems.

GEOTHERM-FORA - Support stakeholders fora on geothermal systems 47 (September 2022

– August 2025, EUR 1.0 million EU funding, topic: Support to the activities of the ETIPs and
technology areas of the SET Plan)

Geothermal energy can play a role in weaning Europe off fossil fuels, both for electricity
generation as well as heating and cooling. It is a renewable, local and continuously available
source of energy as it is not dependent on climate conditions. The project will facilitate the
expansion of geothermal systems by supporting the research, development and innovation
needed to develop renewable technologies, as well as championing market uptake of the
applications. This will help the EU maintain its leading role as a pioneer not only in geothermal
power generation but also in heating and cooling systems.

MixUp - Upscaling Mixing and Reactive Transport through Random Granular Media 48
(September 2022 – August 2024, EUR 0.2 million EU funding, topic: MSCA Postdoctoral
Fellowships 2021)

Modelling the reactive transport of solutes in porous media is applied to several problems
such as contaminant transport or geothermal energy. However, the wide range of scales at
which fluid flows are governed by physical heterogeneities in porous media prevents the
development of practical and accurate reactive transport models. The local mixing process
controls the capacity of reactants at a close distance to enable chemical reactions.
Nevertheless, continuum-scale reactive transport models typically neglect the role of mixing at
the pore scale. The project will develop a first-of-its-kind upscaled transport approach for
mixing and reaction that can precisely account for local mixing in granular media and be
readily integrated within existing continuum-scale reactive models and codes.

COFFEE - Coupled Flow Processes in Fractured Media across Scales: Insights into
Hydraulic Fracture Growth and Radiated Seismic Energy 49 (October 2022 – September
2024, EUR 0.2 million EU funding, topic: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2021

Actively seeking viable “clean/green” energy sources is essential for humans to maintain
sustainable development. Geothermal energy provides an important alternative to fossil fuels
and gas. However, most geothermal resources are deep-seated and are either deficient in
fluid or permeability, or both. The deep-seated, dry, and tight geothermal reservoirs need to
be hydraulically fractured for permeability improvement, thereby promoting fluid circulation
and the harvest of heat energy for electricity production. This is often referred to as enhanced
or engineered geothermal systems (EGS). Understanding the mechanisms that underpin the
link between hydraulic fracture geometry and fluid injection scheme under heterogeneous
geothermal reservoir conditions is essential in efforts to reduce the fluid-injection-induced
seismicity during EGS creation and production. Within this project, a multi-scale (laboratory

47 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101075400
48 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101068306
49 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101061026

58
centimetre scale, field decameter scale, and reservoir kilometre scale) approach will be
combined for the first time to look at how the 3D hydraulic fractures propagate under
geothermal reservoir conditions. With this innovative multi-scale framework, the
understanding of 3D hydraulic fracture growth in heterogeneous geothermal reservoirs will be
improved. This understanding will provide insights on how to reduce fluid-injection-induced
seismicity. The outcome of the project can be used as a benchmark for geoscientists and
policymakers in further exploring and optimising enhanced geothermal systems.

PSGHCERB - Promoting shallow geothermal heating/cooling for existing residential

buildings in the EU 50 (October 2022 – September 2024, EUR 0.2 million EEU funding, topic:
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2021

Nearly three-quarters of residential buildings in the EU are energy inefficient. To reverse this
trend, experts point to the use of shallow geothermal energy – a promising low-carbon
solution to provide heating/cooling and save energy. However, public uptake is low. The
sector is stuck in a rut of small-scale and low renovation due to high investment costs and
building owners’ lack of cooperation. To reverse this trend, the project will develop an efficient
incentive mechanism. It will investigate the potential willingness to cooperate, and the driving
forces behind different stakeholders (governments, technology & services suppliers, and
householders).

8.5 Other activities

8.5.1 DG ETIP
The European Technology and Innovation Platform on Deep Geothermal (DG ETIP) was
created in 201651. It complements the ETIP on Heating and Cooling, as well as other thematic
ETIPs on renewable energy technologies 52.

Between 2017 and 2019, DG ETIP received almost EUR 0.6 million of EU Horizon 2020
funding through LCE-36-2016-2017. DG ETIP has developed a comprehensive Strategic
Research Agenda for the geothermal sector, clarifying its R&D priorities for years to come
(ETIP-DG 2018b). The Strategic Research Agenda and Implementation roadmap for deep
geothermal was published in 2019. Furthermore, DG ETIP has developed a dedicated
Roadmap and suggested ways to finance geothermal energy players and projects through ad-
hoc factsheets. In 2020, DG ETIP published their Vision for Deep Geothermal (ETIP-DG 2020).

8.5.2 SET-Plan Deep Geothermal Implementation Plan

The Deep Geothermal Implementation Plan was developed by national representatives from
Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain,
Switzerland, and Türkiye, as well as by the European Energy Research Alliance Joint
Programme Geothermal Energy (EERA JPGE), DG ETIP, the European Geothermal Energy
Council (EGEC), Euroheat & Power District Heating and Cooling Technology Platform, and the

50 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101066635
51https://www.etip-dg.eu/
52 ETIPs are networks of R&D experts coordinated at European level. As such, they play a pivotal role in

defining the research priorities of their sectors and communicating them to decision-makers in charge of
EU and national R&D funds. For this reason, they are strategic players in the EU energy and climate policy
framework, contributing to the implementation of the SET-Plan and accelerating the development and
deployment of low-carbon technologies.

59
European Technology and Innovation Platform on Renewable Heating and Cooling. Finland,
Ireland and Sweden joined at a later stage. The plan was adopted in early 2018 by the SET-
Plan steering group.

The Deep Geothermal Implementation Plan (DG-IP) provides a comprehensive approach

articulated in eight key research and innovation activities and two non-technical barriers. It
provides a blueprint for the allocation of national and EU funds for geothermal R&D (SET-Plan
Temporary Working Group Deep Geothermal 2018).

A high-level Deep Geothermal Implementation Working Group (DG-IWG) has been established
to advance the DG-IP, with the aim of reaching collectively the technology targets that will
place Europe at the forefront of the next generation of low carbon technologies. A support
unit helps the DG-IWG (SU-DG-IWG) to achieve its goals efficiently and productively. The SU-
DG-IWG operated over the period February 2019 until July 2022. It had three main work
streams:

• provide the DG-IWG with relevant information and data from the various stakeholder
groups to support decision-making processes and the implementation actions of the
DG-IWG
• promote and organise initiatives to mobilise growth and implementation within the
geothermal community, e.g. workshops, brokerage, consortium building and
exploitation of RD&I results
• provide a secretariat for DG-IWG administration and provide synergy & strategy support.

An updated version of the DG-IP was adopted in 2020 (SET-Plan Implementation Working
Group Deep Geothermal 2020). The document partly redefined the eight research and
innovation activities and introduced two cross-cutting issues: knowledge transfer & training
and recommendation of an open-access policy to geothermal information.

8.6 References
Bruhn, D., Taylor N, Ince, E., Mountraki, A., Shtjefni, D., Georgakaki, A., Joanny Ordonez, G.,
Eulaerts, O., Grabowska, M., Clean Energy Technology Observatory: Deep Geothermal
Energy in the European Union - 2022 Status Report on Technology Development,
Trends, Value Chains and Markets, Publications Office of the European Union,
Luxembourg, 2022, doi:10.2760/181272, JRC130585. Available at:
https://setis.ec.europa.eu/deep-geothermal-energy-european-union_en

EGEC 2020 European Geothermal Energy Council: EGEC Geothermal Market Report 2019.
Available at:https://www.egec.org/media-publications/egec-geothermal-market-report-
2019/

EGEC 2021 European Geothermal Energy Council: EGEC Geothermal Market Report 2020.
Available at: https://www.egec.org/media-publications/egec-geothermal-market-report-
2020/

EGEC 2022 European Geothermal Energy Council: EGEC Geothermal Market Report 2021.
Available at: https://www.egec.org/media-publications/egec-geothermal-market-report-
2021/

ETIP-DG 2018a ETIP-DG: Framework conditions for RD & I Work Package 4: Framework
Guideline Approach Conditions for RD & I (1–25). Available at: https://www.etip-
dg.eu/front/wp-content/uploads/D4.1_Framework-Conditions-for-RDI-v2.pdf

60
ETIP-DG 2018b ETIP-DG: Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda. Available at:
https://www.etip-dg.eu/publication/strategic-research-and-innovation-agenda-for-deep-
geothermal/

ETIP-DG 2020 ETIP-DG: Vision for Deep Geothermal. Available at: https://www.etip-
dg.eu/publication/vision-for-deep-geothermal/

European Commission 2017 Horizon 2020 – Work Programme 2018-2020. Secure, clean and
efficient energy. European Commission. Available at:
http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/wp/2018-2020/main/h2020-
wp1820-energy_en.pdf

IEA: World Energy Outlook 2021. International Energy Agency. Available at:
https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-outlook-2021

Sanyal SK, Robertson-Tait A, Jayawardena MS, Huttrer G and Berman L 2016: Comparative
Analysis of Approaches to Geothermal Resource Risk Mitigation, The World Bank.
Available at: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/24277

SET-Plan Deep Geothermal Implementation Working Group 2020: Revision 1 of the

Implementation Plan endorsed on 24 January 2018 by the SET-Plan Steering Group.
Available at: https://66b35e71-78c0-4abe-8c9c-
c69611e77267.filesusr.com/ugd/d2a943_e7f1217394ea47bb9960994183fc91e4.pdf

SET-Plan Temporary Working Group Deep Geothermal 2018: SET-Plan Temporary Working
Group Deep Geothermal Implementation Plan. European Commission. Available at:
https://setis.ec.europa.eu/deep-geothermal-implementation

Shortall R, Uihlein A and Carrara S: Geothermal Energy Technology Market Report 2018.
European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Petten. Available at:
https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/publication/geothermal-energy-technology-market-report

61
 9. France
Virginie Schmidlé-Bloch and Christian Boissavy
Association Française des Professionnels de la Géothermie, 77 rue Claude Bernard, 75005 Paris, France.
Email: [email protected], [email protected].

9.1 Introduction
In France ambitious geothermal energy targets were established in the 2019 Programmation
Pluriannuelle de l’Energie (PPE) of 7.5 TWh by 2023 and between 9 to 12 TWh by 2028. These
totals are further subdivided by technology type; being with and without heat pump
augmentation, with the heat pump technology expected to deliver 4 TWh by 2023 and 5 to 7
TWh by 2028.

In support of these targets regulatory reform and reworking of the SAF-Environment Fund is to
be undertaken to promote deep geothermal projects across France including in areas with
lesser-known geological characteristics.

ADEME has reshaped the “Fonds SAF” scheme seeking to increase the number of deep
geothermal projects extending a 90% geological risk guarantee to be applicable across all of
France, with zonation according to the level of geological risk in a particular area.

The sections that follow cover shallow geothermal, direct use and electricity generation.

9.2 Shallow Geothermal

Individual Residential – Family homes

About 3000 individual geothermal heat pumps were sold in France in 2020 (Observ’ER) into
the residential market. The 2021 data identifies about 4000 units sold. The market has
stabilised at about this level over the last few years. This level is low compared to the market
peak from about 15 years ago when over 20,000 units per year were sold in the 2006 to
2008 period. In spite of the advantages of geothermal heat pumps the residential market is
dominated by air/air heat pumps and air to water domestic hot water-heat pumps with about
100,000 units installed each year. The 2020 market study identifies 3.6 TWh per annum of
energy supplied by shallow geothermal heat pumps to individual residences.

Collective Utilisation

The collective (such as community housing, offices, hospitals, municipality buildings)

geothermal heat pump market shows sustained growth at greater than 10% per annum with
technologies such as the geothermal temperate water closed-loop systems, also known as
“thermal smart-grid”, showing strong uptake. The 2020 market study identified 1.17 TWh per
annum of geothermal energy supplied in the collective and tertiary sectors.

It is essential to support development activity in this sector to be able to reach or exceed the
2028 targets set in the multiannual energy PPE (2019) plan.

62
9.3 Direct Use
Direct use of deep geothermal energy was estimated at 2 TWh in 2020, mainly delivering
energy to district heating networks in Île-de-France (Paris basin), with 50 doublets (or triplets)
representing 81% of the total energy production. In total there are 74 geothermal plants in
operation including 10 geothermal district heating networks outside of the Paris area. Other
operations in order of energy use are:

• industrial - Rittershoffen heat supply, 182 GWh

• swimming pools, greenhouses, and thermal baths at 11 sites using 45 GWh, and
• fish farming at 2 sites in the Aquitaine basin, 40 GWh.

Over the last 3 years several projects (Champs-sur-Marne, Bordeaux, Evry, Rueil-Malmaison,
Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Velizy) have been drilled and are expected to be operational in 2022.
Planning for 12 projects is underway with the expectation that drilling will be completed over
the next 2 to 3 years.

9.3.1 Geological Risk Guarantee

The geological risk guarantee fund, SAF - Environment; both short and long term have been
reshaped to encourage the deployment of deep geothermal projects in areas / zones where
the underground conditions are less well known.

9.4 Electricity Production

There have been no new geothermal power plants brought into operation since 2019. The
plants at Soultz-sous-Forêts (Alsace) and Bouillante (Guadeloupe), total 17 MWe of installed
capacity, producing 127 GWh per annum of gross electrical production.

The two projects around Strasbourg (Vendenheim and Illkirch) remain shutdown / on standby
following the seismic events generated between 2019 and 2021.

A project in Massif-Central in the Puy-de-Dôme area has received approval from authorities to
commence the drilling phase (the project consists of doublets) into a crustal fault target.

Research permits have recently been approved in mainland France inn Massif-Central, Alsace,
and the overseas territories of Mayotte, Guadeloupe, and Martinique. The permits cover
electricity production, heat production, or both (co-production), with some including lithium co-
extraction.

The French Geothermal Association of Professionals (AFPG) is building a dedicated cluster to

structure a nascent green lithium industry.

63
Table 9.1. Geothermal energy data for the calendar year 2022 (N/A = data not available)

Electricity Direct Use

Total Installed Capacity (MWe) 17.2 Total Installed Capacity (MWth) 690.75
New Installed Capacity (MWe) 0 New Installed Capacity (MWth) 48.6
Total Running Capacity (MWe) 17.2 Total Heat Used [GWh/yr] 2000.2
Total Installed Capacity Heat Pumps
Contribution to National Capacity (%) 0.012 N/A
(MWth)
127.06
Total Generation (GWh) Total Net Heat Pump Use [GWh/yr] N/A
GWh
14.4 to
Contribution to National Generation (%) 0.029 Target (PJ/yr) 18.72

9.5 Investment and Employment

Table 9.2 Investment and Employment in geothermal energy
2021 Expected in 2023
Type Expenditure Personnel Expenditure Personnel
(million €) (number) (million €) (number)
Geothermal electric power 70 250 100 300
Geothermal direct use 50 400 50 400
Shallow geothermal 150 1000 200 1200
Total 270 1650 350 1900

9.6 Changes to Policy Supporting Geothermal Development

The 2028 PPE geothermal energy targets (9 to 12.2 TWh in total) represent a 50% increase
relative to 2020. The 2050 target of 100 TWh is a 10-fold increase on the 2028 targets and in
seeking to achieve these the work is supported by a Governmental Action Plan and a
Geothermal Energy Roadmap that have been co-developed with the French geothermal
industry.

The geothermal energy road map has seven priority themes:

o Deep geothermal energy,
o Surface geothermal energy,
o R&D and innovation,
o Training,
o Territorial coordination,
o Overseas and Export.

These have been broken down into 47 targeted actions that will enable the deployment of the
Governmental Action Plan that is expected to be officially adopted in mid-2023.

France already has effective support schemes that have been operating for many years and
these will be further augmented. The SAF Environment Fund, which covers the risk of deep
drilling, will be increased to guarantee 90% of the investment in the event of geological failure,

64
and enlarged to encourage deployment beyond the Ile-de-France region. These changes are
awaiting final acceptance by DGCOMP at the European Commission. The AQUAPAC fund,
which guarantees sufficient resources for surface geothermal operations continues to be
operational and effective.

Of the seven priority themes the Government Action Plan will focus on a number of action
items:

Action 1 - Deep Geothermal Energy

• Improving knowledge of the subsurface by identifying and developing under-exploited

deep aquifers that are suitable for the creation of geothermal heating network doublets.
By improving knowledge of the subsurface this is targeted to encourage the launch of
new projects and once the SAF Environment Fund has been restructured this should
improve project financial security.
Action 2 - Deep and Surface Geothermal Energy

• Raise the awareness and skills of local players and support project developers in the
deployment of geothermal by enlarging the network of regional geothermal specialists
across all regions in France. The promotion of geothermal cooling as an alternative to
atmospheric air-based air conditioners, and developing the use of geothermal energy
beyond urban areas for agri-food and industrial use.

• Stimulate project activity and encourage new financial arrangements for geothermal
energy by strengthening Fonds Chaleur (heat fund) support and encouraging other
financing methods, such as third-party investment.
Action 3 - Surface Geothermal Energy

• Strengthen drilling capacity to meet demand from the residential and tertiary sectors
by increasing the number of qualified drillers, by developing vocational training
courses, seeking to increase the number of competent drillers, harmonizing the
requirements for groundwater and geothermal drilling and improving / guaranteeing
quality of drilling operations.

• Refine the regulatory framework to encourage the development of geothermal

projects. This includes finalising regional mapping of geothermal energy regulatory
zones through BRGM-CEREMA collaboration, and regulatory adaptations to include
new technologies such as underground thermal energy storage and inclined
geothermal probes.

• Encourage the installation of geothermal heat pumps in the residential and tertiary
sectors. This includes raising the profile of geothermal professionals, increasing the
number of projects by strengthening the "heating incentive" with the aim of doubling
the number of geothermal heat pump installations in private homes by 2025,
increasing the number of projects in the tertiary sector by mobilising the Fonds
Chaleur's renewable energy development contracts, and continued work by BRGM
and ADEME to collect, analyse and communicate available underground data.

65
9.7 Regulatory Reform
During 2022 AFPG worked closely with government ministries on various regulatory and
legislative aspects associated with deep geothermal energy. To ensure that the technical
needs are translated appropriately into the regulations AFPG used the services of law firms
specialising in geothermal, mining and environmental law.

The Mining Code is the regulatory basis for all geothermal projects other than Shallow
geothermal (GMI) installations in the depth range 10 and 200m. Updating the code is one of
the challenging tasks needed to boost geothermal deployment in France. In 2022 AFPG
engaged with the Ministry of Ecological Transition (MTE) on amendments to the Mining Code.
This reform was initiated by the government, MTE and its departments (DGPR, DGEC, DGALN).
The reform is ongoing with work on the Mining Code continuing into 2023. Related texts are
listed in legislative and regulatory reference section 9.15.

Some key aspects include:

• financial guarantees to cover an operator's default (includes a well closure plan).

• the content of mining work applications.
• Before finalisation the reform awaits a Mining Titles Decree, an Overseas Decree and
a Ministerial Order on the application of financial guarantees.

9.8 Seismicity Working Group

A Seismicity Working Group was established to enable AFPG to share best practice on deep
geothermal project seismic monitoring. The creation of this group followed the seismic
episodes that occurred between September 2020 and mid-2021 at the Vendenheim site. At
the time FONROCHE was developing connectivity of the wells to be used in its cogeneration
plant. A seismic event occurred almost a year after an earlier episode whose origin could not
be formally determined. AFPG joined with EGEC to set up European level cooperation with
EGEC member operators invited to join AFPG sub-groups in September 2021. AFPG drew on
the Swiss GRID methodology and the Seismicity WG's report was submitted to the Direction
Générale de la Prévention Des Risques (DGPR) in February 2022. The report focused on
recommended best practice to be used by deep geothermal project owners / operators.

AFPG has a role in facilitating the sharing of information between operators, so that the
industry can benefit from feedback.

A report commissioned by the Strasbourg prefecture has also been published, with the
following conclusions:

• The fundamental aspect identified was that the two wells were not in the same
reservoir and so creating significant overpressure in the subsurface.
• Exploration was considered limited in extent as no 3D seismic acquisition had been
undertaken.
• The pressure at the wellhead likely reached 150 bar, whereas the prefectural regulatory
limit is 100 bar.
• The geological accident was not detected in time.

66
9.9 Geothermal Project Development
9.9.1 Projects Commissioned and operational
Geothermal Power

Table 9.3 Present and planned geothermal power plants, total numbers

Share of geothermal in
Total Electrical Power
Geothermal Power Plants total electric power
in the country
generation

Capacity Production Capacity Production Capacity Production

(MWe) (GWhe/yr) (GWe) (TWhe/yr) (%) (%)

In operation at end of 2021 * 17.2 127 136.2 500.1 0.013 0.025

Under construction end of 2021 0 0 0 0

Total projected by 2023 17.2 127 148.4 494.7 0.012 0.026

Total expected by 2028 42.2 307

Under development 2
Geothermal licenses in force in 2021:
Under investigation 19

Table 9.4 Existing geothermal power plants, individual sites

Installed Running 2021

Year commis- No of
Location Plant Name Status Type capacity capacity production
sioned units
(MWe) (MWe) (GWhe/y)

Bouillante (Guadeloupe
1986 and
island, French West Bouillante 2 O 1F + 2F 15.5* 15.5 115
2004
Indies)

Soultz-sous-Forêts Soultz-sous-
2010 1 O B-ORC 1.7 1.7 12
(Alsace region) Forêts

Total 17.2 17.2 127

Key for status: Key for type:

O Operating 1F Single Flash B-ORC Binary (ORC)

2F Double Flash

67
Deep Geothermal energy - heating applications

Table 9.5 Present and planned deep geothermal district heating (DH) plants and other uses for heating and cooling,
total numbers

Geothermal DH plants Geothermal heat in Geothermal heat for Geothermal heat in

agriculture and industry buildings balneology and other

Capacity Production Capacity Production Capacity Production Capacity Production

(MWth) (GWhth/yr) (MWth) (GWhth/yr) (MWth) (GWhth/yr) (MWth) (GWhth/yr)

In operation 653.45 1 735 26.5 221.9 2.1 20.7 8.7 22.6

end of 2022

Under 48.6 69.1 0 0 0 0 0 0

construction
end 2021

Total projected 659.4 2051 ? ? ? ? ? 31

by 2023

Total expected 4 – 5.2 TWhth/yr

by 2028

For more detailed data on individual geothermal district heating plant refer to the table in
Section 9.16.

For more detailed data on large scale geothermal systems, other than district heating
schemes, refer to the table in Section 9.17.

Shallow Geothermal energy

Table 9.6 Shallow geothermal energy, geothermal heat pumps (GSHP)

Geothermal Heat Pumps (GSHP), total New (additional) GSHP in 2021

Number Capacity Production Number Capacity Production

(MWth) (GWhth/yr) (MWth) (GWhth/yr)

In operation
205,000 3075 4770 3419 49 102
end of 2021 *

68
9.10 Research Highlights :

9.10.1 Innovation initiatives in France

Geotertiary project

The Geotertiary project is a shallow geothermal energy project bringing together IFP Énergies
Nouvelles (IFPEN), Sorbonne University, Paris-Dauphine University and Geosophy, a
Schlumberger startup. The project, funded by ADEME, aims to develop a decision tool for land
and building managers. that assesses the potential real estate valuation of the geological
basement for heating and the cooling of tertiary buildings, via geothermal energy. It should
decrease both the technical and commercial risk related to a geothermal installation and is
aimed at encouraging geothermal uptake.

Oil and Gas technology Transfer

At a technical level the French operators are working closely with the oil & gas industry
seeking to benefit from technology transfer.

Preserving well integrity against corrosion

The use of composite materials for well casings has been developed in the petroleum industry
and increasingly considered by geothermal counterparts. These materials offer superior
corrosion protection than steel casings.

This solution was proposed in 2015 by CFG Services for the relining of geothermal wells at
Chevilly-Larue and L’Haÿles- Roses. Successful implementation made it possible to guarantee
maintenance compatible with the operational requirements of the heating network and to
preserve the integrity of the works for the next fifteen to twenty years.

This operation was repeated on a well at the Bonneuil-sur-Marne geothermal plant in 2018.

Sub-horizontal drilling or drilling multi-drains

At Cachan, in 2017 the production from a doublet using sub-horizontal drilling –

unprecedented for geothermal energy in France – made it possible to increase the production
up to 450 m3/h (i.e. an increase of approximately 50% compared to the geothermal doublets
located in the Paris region). This augmentation was made possible thanks to innovative well
architecture, using a deviation of 90°, instead of the typical 40°, thus improving the drainage in
the aquifer resulting in a significant increase in flow rate and recoverable heat potential.

More recently, in 2020, ENGIE Solutions successfully developed a new doublet at Vélizy-
Villacoublay, with a multi-drain borehole consisting of three drains. The borehole crosses the
producing levels three times, thereby maximising the naturally drained volume. This made it
possible to increase the flow to 400 m3/h (i.e. 30% more than the flow rate of a standard
doublet, at an additional cost of 15%). These projects have received funding from the
Renewable Heat Fund.

69
Lithium extraction

R&D is needed to assess potential for new geothermal opportunities. For example,
geothermal drilling carried out in Alsace showed the water was rich in recoverable minerals,
such as lithium. A goal would be to assess whether, in the medium term, lithium production
can be generated from these geothermal fluids. Several R&D projects are currently underway
investigating the potential for commercial extraction of lithium.

9.11 Other National Activities

9.11.1 Geothermal Education
Deep Geothermal Energy Training Course

AFPG organised a 2-day training course on deep geothermal energy, covering :

• A global overview of deep geothermal energy and exporting French expertise.

• Understanding different project typologies (Alsace, Parisian Basin, and other geological
settings).
• Updating technical, economic, regulatory and societal competences.
French geothermal industry regional representation:

Since the end of 2019, AFPG has organised coordination meetings for geothermal project
managers, extending these meetings to others involved in geothermal projects. Quarterly
meetings and a plenary allow sharing, feedback and identification of technical skills needed.

The year 2022 started with a cycle of free webinars on helical sensors following their
integration into the Heat Fund support.

The expansion of the network of facilitators leads to the implementation of good practice,
communication, and network organization. The challenge is to find ways to amplify regional
initiatives to the national level in order to both enhance regional approaches and increase the
visibility of the network of geothermal coordinators:

In this regard webinars are expected to be held in early 2023 organised by Auvergne-Rhône-
Alpes and extended to the national level. Two webinars to promote geothermal hot water
loops are expected to be organised.

9.11.2 Conferences
5th “National Geothermal Days” organised by AFPG

The Geothermal Days event took place on June 9 & 10, 2022 in Aix-les-Bains. This 5th event
brought together around 300 people. Two days of activities assisted to mobilise actors in the
French geothermal industry and also from the energy sector more broadly, President of the
“Syndicat des Energies Renouvelables” Jean-Louis BAL attended the opening of the event.

The Geothermal Days made it possible to highlight and strengthen the cross-border links that
unite the French and Swiss geothermal sectors. The JDLG 2022 were punctuated by
enriching discussions on a wide range of technical, economic and R&D subjects while sharing
convivial moments around an exhibitor lounge and scientific posters.

70
Three key aspects at the event:

• The election of the AFPG bodies, its Bureau and its Board of Directors, which renew
Jean-Jacques Graff as President for 3 years.
• The presentation of the 2022 Geothermal Trophies awarded to:
o In the surface geothermal category: Hervé Lautrette for AbSolar, 1st French
demonstrator of a solar thermal plant and underground energy storage in
Gironde
o In the deep geothermal category: Béatrice Pandélis (ES) and the ES geothermal
team for the 1st direct geothermal lithium extraction pilot in the Bas-Rhin
• The launch of WING France, thanks to the involvement of Ann Robertson-Tait,
President of WING International (Women In Geothermal). This is a movement to
develop gender equality in the geothermal sector. All women and men wishing to
engage in this organisation around geothermal energy are welcome.

9.12 Publications
Publication of a geothermal “Livre blanc “:

AFPG has produced a White Paper on the status of French geothermal, called “Livre Blanc”.
This is to challenge candidates for the presidency of the Republic on the enormous potential
of geothermal energy. Our approach is to send the White Paper to the presidential election
campaign teams, with follow-up meetings to raise awareness of the place that geothermal
energy can hold in the French energy sector: energy independence, resilience, reduction of
CO2 emissions, preservation of air quality, and the potential for direct use applications to
generate commercial activity and employment opportunities.

Heat pump lifetime study

AFPG carried out a study on the lifetime of geothermal heat pumps, after identifying that only
one Swiss study on the subject from the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW)
existed. The aim of the AFPG study was to compare French findings with the Swiss results
where the average lifetime of a geothermal heat pump is 26.7 years (± 0.8 years). Both studies
are based on Weibull statistical distributions. A method for estimating the lifetime of a system
which considers the end-of-life of older heat pumps by the percentage still in operation. This
approach makes it possible to differentiate between heat pumps that have been sold and
those that have ceased operating. So, if the number of heat pumps installed in the country is
increasing, this means that there have been more sales of heat pumps than end-of-life heat
pumps that have not been replaced. Conversely, if the number of heat pumps installed in the
country is decreasing, this means that the number of heat pumps sold has not been sufficient
to compensate for the number of older heat pumps that have ceased operating and not
replaced.

BRGM Brochure: “Shallow Geothermal energy: a sustainable and efficient energy for
swimming pools and aquatic centres”

Faced with the rapidly increasing costs, such as rising gas prices, many heated aquatic
centres have been forced to close. Indeed, aquatic centres are often the most energy-
consuming buildings in municipalities: they generally represent nearly 10% of the Minicipalties
overall energy consumption. Most of this equipment was built at a time when controlling
energy consumption was a secondary concern and so aquatic parks have significant potential

71
for reducing energy consumption through insulation and energy efficiency efforts, as well as
the use of renewable energies.

For aquatic centres, the operating energy expense represents ~15% of the costs when nearly
half of the pools were still heated by gas in 2015. Surface geothermal energy, depending on
the configuration, can effectively cover a large part of the heating needs. Compared to
conventional energies (gas, electricity, fuel oil), geothermal energy requires a higher initial
investment, but its operating costs are controlled because they are essentially linked to the
operation of the heat pump (PAC) which makes efficient use of the energy captured. One unit
of electricity consumed by the heat pump distributes 4 units of heat to the facilities, as well as
3 units of cold that can be used to dehumidify the air in the pools.

The brochure released in 2022 by the BRGM is an important publication highlighting the role
of shallow geothermal energy in the replacement of fossil energies for public buildings.

9.13 Future Activity

A “Marshall Plan for renewable and recovery Heating” in France

The Renewable Heat Club brings together public and private organisations working to reduce
and decarbonise heat consumption in France. Together, they propose to the public authorities
a plan to decarbonise French households, communities and businesses using local renewable
and recovered energies: the Marshall Plan for renewable energy and cold.

Heat represents nearly half of the energy consumed in France; it is by far the greatest primary
energy use ahead of transport and specific uses of electricity. Large scale deployment using
heat and cold produced from local renewable and recovered (R&R) sources is a necessity to
accelerate the energy transition. All players (public and private), all levers (energy
conservation, energy efficiency), all energy sources (waste heat, biomass, solar thermal,
geothermal energy, heat pumps, biogas) and all mature solutions (heating and cold, thermal
storage) must contribute to this effort.

The members of the Renewable Heat Club are proposing an ambitious and realistic plan to
the government, elected officials and the French public: the Marshall Plan dedicated to
renewable energy heating and cooling should make it possible to produce more than half of
the French heat needs from 2030 onwards (300 TWh in 2030).

Heating networks are required to connect more and more buildings (residential, tertiary or
industrial). Given the current interest, the heating networks could deliver 73 TWh of heat at an
R&R rate of 75%.

The EnR&R Heat Club calls for the draft Energy and Climate Programming Law (LPEC) to be
based on local, mature solutions that can be deployed on a large scale to decarbonise the
French economy. The members of the Club have defined 60 legislative, regulatory, financial
and operational measures, the main measures are summarised in Table 9.7.

72
Table 9.7 The main measures to decarbonise the French economy

Theme Measure Impact attended

General To Include the objectives of the Marshall Heat, which accounts for nearly half of
Plan in article L. 100-4 of the energy the energy consumed in France, is still
Legislative code. often the "great forgotten" in the energy
debate. The LPEC must make R&R heat
a central lever of the French energy
transition. The opportunity must be
seized to integrate the issues related to
heating and cold, in order to oversee its
development immediately.

Employment Simplify and harmonise France Travail The energy transition professions are
training and retraining systems at constantly evolving, which makes them
Legislative national level with regard to rich in addition to their strategic
environmental issues dimension. Measures facilitating the
matching of training with the needs of
the sector should be introduced in the
France “Travail” Law.

Energy Create a seed fund for the tertiary Create a seed fund for public tertiary
efficiency decree. buildings, in order to encourage early
compliance with the objectives of the
Financial tertiary decree, with energy performance
contracts guaranteeing the results.

All renewable Resize the Heat Fund budget and the Increase the Heat Fund budget to €750
heating energy human resources allocated to meet the million from 2023 and then to €1
Financial challenges of heat decarbonization. billion/year from 2024.

District Relaunch as soon as possible a Placed directly under the authority of the
heating and ministerial working group dedicated to Minister in charge of energy, such a
cooling heat and cold EnR&R working group would make it possible to
networks unite public and private players around
Operational one objective: to generate more than
300 TWh of heat and cold from local
R&R.

73
9.14 References
Geothermal National Plan: https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/geothermie-plan-daction-accelerer

AFPG « Etude sur la durée de vie des pompes à chaleur géothermiques » :

http://www.afpg.asso.fr/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Rapport-Dure%CC%81e-vie-installations-
2022.pdf

BRGM : « 6 Bonnes raisons de choisir la Géothermie – La géothermie de Surface : une énergie

performante et durable pour les piscines et les centres aquatiques » :
http://www.afpg.asso.fr/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/brochure-plouf_BD.pdf

A Marshall Plan for the renewable and heating : http://www.afpg.asso.fr/wp-

content/uploads/2023/05/ok20220420-Club-chaleur_PPE.pdf

9.15 Legislation / Regulatory References

https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000045570495

- Ordinance no. 2022-534 of April 13, 2022 on environmental authorization for mining
operations https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000045570510

- Report to the President of the Republic on Ordinance no. 2022-535 of April 13, 2022 on
compensation and reparation for mining damage

https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000045570519

- Ordinance no. 2022-535 of April 13, 2022 on compensation and reparation for mining damage
https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000045570527

- Report to the President of the Republic on Ordinance no. 2022-536 of April 13, 2022
modifying the mining model and the legal regimes under the Mining Code

https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000045570531

- Ordinance n° 2022-536 of April 13, 2022 modifying the mining model and the legal regimes
under the mining code

https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000045570540

- Report to the President of the Republic on Ordinance no. 2022-537 of April 13, 2022
concerning the overseas adaptation of the mining code

https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000045570569

- Ordinance no. 2022-537 of April 13, 2022 on the overseas adaptation of the mining code

https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000045570578

74
 9.16 Existing geothermal district heating (DH) plant data
Installed 2022
Total installed Geothermal
Geothermal thermal
Locality Plant Name Commissioned CHP Cooling capacity production share
Capacity production
(MWth) (%)
(MWth) (MWh)
OCCITANIE BLAGNAC 2 RITOURET 1976 N N 4.5 14189
NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE MONT-DE-MARSAN 1976 N N 7 13641 80%
ILE-DE-FRANCE MONTGERON 1981 N N 9 13.1 7076 66.8%
NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE PESSAC - SAIGE FORMANOIR 1982 N N 6.5 11.1 12834 58.4%
ILE-DE-FRANCE LA COURNEUVE SUD 1982 N N 6.5 9.9 4397 65.6%
ILE-DE-FRANCE MEAUX COLLINET 1982 N N 6.5 10274
NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE BEGLES 1983 N N 2272
CENTRE-VAL DE LOIRE CHATEAUROUX 1983 N N 5.5 7945
ILE-DE-FRANCE LA COURNEUVE NORD 1983 N N 6.4 11.0 34380 58.4%
ILE-DE-FRANCE MEAUX BEAUVAL 1 1983 N N 15 22.9 43671 65.6%
ILE-DE-FRANCE MEAUX HOPITAL 1983 N N 15 31.1 19934 48.2%
ILE-DE-FRANCE RIS ORANGIS 1983 N N 11 11.0 24074 76,7%
NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE MERIGNAC - BA 106 1984 N N 10 13.3 5968 70%
ILE-DE-FRANCE EPINAY-SOUS-SENART 1984 N N 10 22.9 33954 75%
ILE-DE-FRANCE MEAUX BEAUVAL 2 1984 N N 15 23131 74.5%
ILE-DE-FRANCE SUCY-EN-BRIE 1984 N N 15 15.3 25166 96.6%
NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE CHASSELOUP-LAUBAT 1985 N N 15 20.8 Unknown 72.0%
ILE-DE-FRANCE CHAMPIGNY-SUR-MARNE 1985 N N 15 54470 75%

75
 Installed 2022
Total installed Geothermal
Geothermal thermal
Locality Plant Name Commissioned CHP Cooling capacity production share
Capacity production
(MWth) (%)
(MWth) (MWh)
ILE-DE-FRANCE CHEVILLY-LARUE 1985 N N 14 20.7 50386 67.6%
ILE-DE-FRANCE CRETEIL MONT MESLY 1985 N N 20 61.0 48242 62%
ILE-DE-FRANCE L'HAY-LES-ROSES 1985 N N 14 20.7 24760 72.2%
ILE-DE-FRANCE MAISON ALFORT 1 1985 N N 11.8 20.0
59996 57.1%
ILE-DE-FRANCE MAISON ALFORT 2 1986 N N 10.8 18.3
ILE-DE-FRANCE VILLIERS-LE-BEL-GONESSE 1985 N N 14 24.3 32280 53.7%
ILE-DE-FRANCE THIAIS 1986 N N 11.6 12.3 29585 85.8%
ILE-DE-FRANCE ALFORTVILLE 1987 N N 14.8 16.5 39736 83.2%
ILE-DE-FRANCE FRESNES 1987 N N 10 16.6 38683 62.9%
ILE-DE-FRANCE VILLENEUVE ST-GEORGES 1987 N N 17 33.9 28690 39.5%
ILE-DE-FRANCE MELUN L'ALMONT2 1988 N N 15 30.2 34297 38.37%
ILE-DE-FRANCE TOUR AGF MIRABEAU 1990 N O 1.03 13000
ILE-DE-FRANCE ORLY 2 LE NOUVELET 2 2008 N N 12.2 15.3 66215 80.0%
ILE-DE-FRANCE ORLY ADP 2011 N N 12 50.6 23054 34.7%
ILE-DE-FRANCE COULOMMIERS 2 2012 N N 11.5 12.0 36507 94.2%
ILE-DE-FRANCE VAL-MAUBUEE 2012 N N 11 12.6 44473 86.2%
ILE-DE-FRANCE AUBERVILLIERS 2013 N N 11 4851 70%
ILE-DE-FRANCE CHELLES2 2013 N N 13.6 38.7 35377 59.4%
ILE-DE-FRANCE ISSY-LES-MOULINEAUX 2013 N N 3.48 6.8 9961 48%

76
 Installed 2022
Total installed Geothermal
Geothermal thermal
Locality Plant Name Commissioned CHP Cooling capacity production share
Capacity production
(MWth) (%)
(MWth) (MWh)
ILE-DE-FRANCE LE-MEE-SUR-SEINE 2 2013 N N 11 16.6 40100 69.2%
ILE-DE-FRANCE PLESSIS ROBINSON 2013 N O 5.35 25.5 8261 19%
ILE-DE-FRANCE NEUILLY-SUR-MARNE 2015 N N 11.8 19.7 42556 58%
ILE-DE-FRANCE ARCUEIL-GENTILLY 2016 N N 14.5 19.9 52942 80%
ILE-DE-France BAGNEUX 2016 N N 12.5 43777 57%
ILE-DE-FRANCE CLICHY-BATIGNOLLES 2016 N N 4.19 13248 58%
ILE-DE-FRANCE ROSNY-SOUS-BOIS 2016 N N 10.5 12.8 51518 81%
ILE-DE-FRANCE TREMBLAY-EN-FRANCE 2 2016 N N 11.8 14.8 39293 82.9%
ILE-DE-FRANCE VILLEPINTE 2016 N N 14.6 18.3 23518 50.4%
ILE-DE-FRANCE BAILLY-ROMAINVILLIERS 2017 N N 19.5 19.5 61127 99.8%
ILE-DE-FRANCE DAMMARIE-LES-LYS 2017 N N 14.6 15.6 30870 84.8%
ILE-DE-FRANCE GRIGNY II 2017 N N 10.5 13.8 63502 66.8%
ILE-DE-FRANCE IVRY-SUR-SEINE 2 2017 N N 11.2 21.5 39280 53.4%
ILE-DE-FRANCE LE BLANC MESNIL 2 2017 N N 10.8 18.8 21908 56%
ILE-DE-FRANCE VILLEJUIF 2017 N N 15.5 22.9 34552 67.6%
NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE ARCACHON (lycée)**** 2018 N N Unknown
ILE-DE-FRANCE BONNEUIL-SUR-MARNE 2 2018 N N 12.3 13.1 32940 94.7%
NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE TESTE DE BUCH**** 2018 N N Unknown
ILE-DE-FRANCE VIGNEUX-SUR-SEINE 2 2019 N N 13.1 15.7 30335 85.4%

77
 Installed 2022
Total installed Geothermal
Geothermal thermal
Locality Plant Name Commissioned CHP Cooling capacity production share
Capacity production
(MWth) (%)
(MWth) (MWh)
ILE-DE-FRANCE CACHAN 3 2020 N N 12.5 17.5 38620 73.5%
ILE-DE-FRANCE CHAMPS-SUR-MARNE 2021 N N 12.2 17222 89.4%
ILE-DE-FRANCE VELIZY 2022 N N 24289
ILE-DE-FRANCE BOBIGNY-DRANCY 2021 N N 25.8 40113
ILE-DE-FRANCE EVRY 2 2022 N N Unknown 25%
ILE-DE-FRANCE RUEIL-MALMAISON 2022 N N 14.5 Unknown
ILE-DE-FRANCE SAINT-GERMAIN-EN-LAYE 2022 N N Unknown 30%
NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE BORDEAUX PGE 2022 N N 27594
1735
TOTAL 653.45 67%
GWhth/y

78
9.17 Existing large geothermal systems for heating and cooling other than associated with a district
heating scheme.
installed Geothermal
2022
Geothermal share of
Locality Plant Name Commissioned Cooling production Operator
capacity production
(MWh)
(MWth) (%)
NOUVELLE- PESSAC - STADIUM University of Bordeaux
1962 N 1082* 55%
AQUITAINE Montaigne
NOUVELLE- MIOS LE TEICH Fish farm
1984 N 11512* 100%
AQUITAINE
OCCITANIE PEZENAS 1984 N 586*
NOUVELLE- GUJAN MESTRA LA
1985 N 1744* 100%
AQUITAINE HUME
NOUVELLE- HAGETMAU Municipality
1986 N 21440*
AQUITAINE
OCCITANIE NOGARO 2 1986 N 11576* Municipality
NOUVELLE- BORDEAUX Municipality
1987 N 2004*
AQUITAINE MERIADECK
NOUVELLE- SAINT-PAUL-LES- Municipality
AQUITAINE DAX 1 (LAC DE 1996 N 2793*
CHRISTUS)
NOUVELLE- PARENTIS**** Vermilion - Tom D'Aqui
2000 N 18494*
AQUITAINE
NOUVELLE- JONZAC Municipality
2002 N 8025* 59%
AQUITAINE
GRAND EST RITTERSHOFFEN 2017 N 26.5 897* ECOGI

79
NOUVELLE- LA BARTERE
? N Unknown
AQUITAINE
NOUVELLE- Lycée Kastler
2022 N 0.747 4241*
AQUITAINE (Talence)
NOUVELLE- Lycée Val-de-
AQUITAINE Garonne 2022 N 0.87 182000*
(Marmande)
NOUVELLE- Lycée Victor Louis
2022 N 0.482 Unknown
AQUITAINE (Talence)
TOTAL 273 GWhth/y

80
 10. Germany
Manuela Richter
Project Management Jülich PTJ - ESE 4, Division: Energy System - Renewable Energies / Power Plant
Technology, Geothermal Energy, Hydropower, Science Communication, Forschungszentrum Jülich
GmbH, 52425 Jülich.
[email protected]

10.1 Introduction and Overview

The regions of Germany that have suitable conditions for geothermal electricity production are
the Molasse Basin in Southern Germany (mainly in Bavaria) and the Upper Rhine Graben in
Southwest Germany. Both regions have high natural thermal gradients.

According to information from the German Geothermal Association (BVG), there were 42
geothermal power and heating plants in operation across Germany in 2021. Most of these
generate heat exclusively, amounting to a total installed capacity of 452 MWt. Nine of the
geothermal plants generate electricity – either exclusively or supplementary to heat. They
have an installed electricity capacity of ~46 MWe (Table 10.1).

Table 10.1: Geothermal energy usage for the calendar year 2021

Electricity Direct Use

Total Installed Capacity (MWe) 45,8 Total Installed Capacity (MWth) 452

New Installed Capacity (MWe) 5 New Installed Capacity (MWth) 65

6,48PJ/yr
Total Running Capacity (MWe) 44,6 Total Heat Used (PJ/yr) [GWh/yr]
1800GWh/yr

Contribution to National Capacity 0,02 Total Installed Capacity Heat

(%) Pumps (MWth) 4930

Total Generation (GWh) 2021 217 Total Net Heat Pump Use 7140
[GWh/yr]

Contribution to National 0,03 Target (PJ/yr) N/A

Generation (%)
(N/A = data not available)

A robust expansion path can be formulated for deep geothermal energy utilisation in
Germany: from 2022 to 2030, an annual growth rate of around 1.1 TWh/a is achievable,
leading to annual geothermal energy utilisation of ~10 TWh by 2030. From 2023, an
intensified, nationwide exploration focus on the development of deep geothermal sites is
expected to occur leading to an increase in annual energy production of 4.6 TWh by 2040.
Considering the typical preparatory time and phases for geothermal energy projects, an
annual energy utilisation of 56 TWh could be possible from deep geothermal energy
resources by 2040.

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10.2 National Programme
In September 2018, the Federal Cabinet adopted the 7th Energy Research Programme entitled
“Innovations for the Energy Transition”. It contains the guidelines for energy research funding
in the coming years with the Federal Government making €7 billion available for renewable
energy projects.

The Federal Government plans a new strategic approach that focuses funding on technology
and innovation transfer. This includes the use of “living labs” that aim to bring promising new
technological solutions to market, and to explore and master the challenges under real-life
conditions. The experience gained will set the course for implementing the tested
technologies at larger scale. Greater involvement by young, creative start-ups will also play an
important role in this process.

The programme strengthens technology and innovation funding in the energy sector and also
adds a new focus on systemic and societal questions. This involves placing a greater focus on
the major, overarching trends in the energy sector. One of these is sector coupling, which
enables interaction between the heat, transport and industrial sectors, crucial for the
development of the system as a whole. Another is digitisation, which plays a key role in
modernising the energy system.

Lastly, the Federal Government’s 7th Energy Research Programme is designed around
developing closer research networking at both the international and European levels. After all,
the energy transition is, and will remain, a global-level challenge. In preparing the new
programme the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, together with the Federal
Ministry of Education and Research and the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, hosted a
broad-based consultation process in which it surveyed many stakeholders from science and
business about the innovation steps needed to make the energy transition a success. This is
because the programme seeks to foster applied research and supporting the transformation
of highly innovative ideas into successful products and processes. The results of the
consultation process were fed into the development of the Energy Research Programme.

The 8th Energy Research Programme is currently being developed.

10.3 Research, Development and Demonstration/Deployment

On November 11, 2022, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate published a key
national geothermal campaign issues paper. The paper formulates the goal of tapping 10 TWh
of geothermal potential from medium-depth and deep geothermal resources by 2030 and
thus increasing the current feed into heating networks from geothermal sources tenfold. To
achieve this, at least 100 additional geothermal projects are to be initiated by 2030. These can
be connected to heating networks and used in residential buildings, district and industrial
processes. This is intended to provide a strong impetus for additional geothermal projects to
further develop the technology and further prepare the heat energy market for the use of
geothermal energy.

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The following 8 actions are identified in the paper:
1. Exchange with stakeholders – through dialogue
2. Data campaign – reducing information deficits
- Research project “WärmeGut“ (01.08.2022 –31.12.2025, ~14M€) : creating a “traffic
light system” that maps local geothermal potential at all depth ranges
3. Exploration campaign – creating market preparation
- Project “Warm-up“ (01.10.2022 –31.01.2026, ~3M€) : define selection criteria for
locations
4. Acceleration of approval procedures – identifying optimisation potentials
5. Funding programs – providing impetus and market preparation
- Funding for efficient heating networks (BEW)
- Funding for energy and resource efficiency (EEW)
6. Risk mitigation
7. Skilled workers and availability of measuring (Borehole measurements, Seismic
measurements and so on) and drilling rigs
8. Acceptance
- Support of information campaigns on all levels (local, regional, trans-regional)

In addition to point 2 it must be said that all collected data, as far as possible, is
transferred to the GeoTIS database.

Actual GeotIS is based on data from more than 30.000 boreholes, which are mainly oil
and gas wells but also geothermal, thermal, mineral water and mining wells. Another
component are hydraulic data (porosity and permeability) from the Hydrocarbon
Information System created by LBEG, data from project partners and from
"Hauptspeicher Bohrungsdaten", which incorporates all the hydrocarbon wells drilled
in the former German Democratic Republic. Also incorporated in the system are
temperature data from the Geophysical Information System operated by LIAG and
structural data from various map series and works of the project partners.

Geological profiles, geothermal maps and information from relevant databases are
processed into 3D subsurface models. These models form the main data basis of the
information system.

The research in GeotIS is exclusively via the internet5.

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10.4 Conferences
Conferences held in Germany during 2022:

Norddeutsche Geothermietagung online in. May 2022

ENERGIETAGE in Berlin in May 2022

GeoTherm in Offenburg in June 2022

European Geothermal Congress 2022 (EGC) in October 2022

Praxisforum Geothermie in Munich in October 2022

10.5 Future Activity

In addition to its activities in IEA Geothermal, Germany also participates in other international
associations, such as “GEOTHERMICA”.

After the finalization of the GEOTHERMICA CFA, financed under the European Union’s
Horizon 2020 Programme for Research and Innovation, the consortium has sought to maintain
the momentum created over the last five years and define activity to continue to foster
collaboration, including a transparent and sustainable future as a geothermal network of
European and international funding organisations and public authorities. The GEOTHERMICA
initiative is currently formed to continue the successful work under a new umbrella.

The Federal Government continues to support the development of renewable energies with a
suite of support mechanisms, e.g. feed-in-tariffs, R&D budgets, investments subsidies.

For deep geothermal energy, a solid expansion path is expected, formulated on the basis of
the studies and reports: From 2022 to 2030, annual growth of ~1.1 TWh/a is expected, so
annual energy utilisation of 10 TWh can be achieved in 2030. Based on the Sandrock study9
deep geothermal energy could potentially reach a level of annual utilisation of 118 TWh. This
however does not appear to be achievable by 2045 due to the time required to upgrade the
district heating networks and the lead-in times for geothermal projects. Assuming that from
2023 a focussed nationwide exploration programme for the development of new deep
geothermal sites commences (in the municipal sector) an annual increase of 4.6 TWh might be
achievable from 2030 to 2040. So that in 2040 annual geothermal energy utilisation of 56
TWh could be achieved being supplied from deep geothermal energy resources.

As already mentioned, the longer lead-in times from exploration of the subsurface to the
delivery of first kilowatt hour of heat must be considered, especially in the case of deep
geothermal projects. Therefore, the annual energy volume is expected to grow by around 1.1
TWh per year up to 2030 and then by 4.6 TWh per year up to 2040, with many deep
geothermal development sites constructed and connected to the heating network from 2040
to 2045.

This explains the annual growth of 12.4 TWh/a, with which an annual energy volume of 118
TWh can already be provided by deep geothermal energy in 20453,9. A similar development

84
has already taken place in the first 20 years of this millennium on a regional scale in the
Munich metropolitan region.

10.6 References & Publications

1. 7th Energy Research Programme of the Federal Government:
https://www.bmwi.de/Redaktion/EN/Artikel/Energy/research-for-an-ecological-reliable-and-
affordable-power-supply.html
2. Database of R&D-projects in renewable energies governmental sponsored:
https://www.enargus.de/pub/bscw.cgi/?op=enargus.eps2
3. Dena Gebäudestudie - Szenarien für eine marktwirtschaftliche Klima- und
Ressourcenschutzpolitik 2050 im Gebäudesektor, Stand 10/2017, TM 95, Abb. 5, S. 42, insgesamt
95 Seiten.
4. German Geothermal Association (BVG): http://www.geothermie.de/
5. Geothermal Information System for Germany (GEOTIS):
https://www.geotis.de/homepage/GeotIS-Startpage?url=&loc=en
6. https://www.geothermie.de/bibliothek/downloads.html
7. https://www.bmwk.de/Redaktion/DE/Downloads/Energie/eckpunkte-
geothermie.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=6
8. Project Management Jülich (Public Funding Agency):
https://www.ptj.de/projektfoerderung/angewandte-energieforschung
9. Sandrock, M., Maaß, C., Weisleder, S., Westholm, H., Schulz, W., Löschan, G., Baisch, C., Kreuter,
H., Reyer, D., Mangold, D., Riegger, M., Köhler, C. (2020): Kommunaler Klimaschutz durch
Verbesserung der Effizienz in der Fernwärmeversorgung mittels Nutzung von
Niedertemperaturwärmequellen am Beispiel tiefengeothermischer Ressourcen.
Abschlussbericht, Climate Change 31/2020, 357 Seiten, www.uba.de

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 11. Japan
Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC)
2-10-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0001 Japan
[email protected]

11.1 Introduction
Located along the Circum-Pacific Volcanic Belt, Japan is blessed with an abundance of
geothermal energy, with the total capacity of geothermal power generation reaching over 500
MWe in 1995. However, due to the government’s support for geothermal development having
waned, the installation of new capacity stagnated for almost two decades due mainly to socio-
economic factors. However, measures to intensify deployment of renewable energy by the
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), following the nuclear power plant accident in
Fukushima in 2011, have renewed interest in geothermal development. The legal framework
that regulates geothermal drilling has changed which has encouraged development (for
details, see Section 2.1). Dozens of small geothermal power plants, with capacity range from a
few 10s up to a few 100s of kilowatt, opened in 2010s (Figure 11.1). Then the Matsuo-
Hachimantai (7,499 kW) and Wasabizawa (46,199 kW) geothermal power plants were
commissioned in 2019.

number
100

80

60

40

20

0
1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020

GPPs Units

Figure 11.1: The increasing number of geothermal power plants and units in Japan1,2,3,4,5,6

The current number of 71 geothermal power plants (82 units) is second largest in the world
following the USA of 847 (270 units7), with geothermal power plants in Japan being the most
densely distributed (1.88 geothermal power plants per 10,000km2) in the world. In addition,
more geothermal power plants are currently under construction, including ones in Hokkaido,
Akita and Iwate prefectures, which are over 1MW.

The promotion of ground source heat pumps (GSHP) started in Japan at the beginning of 21st
Century, and the number of installations has been increasing with support from Ministry of the

86
Environment (MOE). During a “renewable energy boom” after a nuclear power accident in
2011, there was an exponential increase in GSHP development, but this has recently slowed.

Because the data collection for geothermal power use has recently changed from every year
to every other year, as is for GSHP, the numbers shown in Table 11.1 e identical to last year’s
report.

Table 11.1: Geothermal energy usage for the calendar year 2022

Electricity Direct Use

Total Installed Capacity (MWe)* 536.98 Total Installed Capacity (MWth) *** 2,4079,10

New Installed Capacity (MWe) * 0.0 New Installed Capacity (MWth) N/A

Total Running Capacity (MWe) ** 2968 Total Heat Used (TJ/yr) *** 29,9589,10

Contribution to National Capacity Total Installed Capacity Heat

(%)** 0.2% Pumps (MWth) ** 163.411

Total Generation (GWh) ** 2,3137 Total Net Heat Pump Use (TJ/yr) ** 764.911

Contribution to National
Generation (%)** 0.2% Target (PJ/yr) N/A

(N/A = data not available)

* The latest available data, as of March 2020.
** Based on the latest available data for FY 2019 (April 2019 to March 2020). Running capacity was calculated from
capacity factor of 55.2% in FY 2019.
*** No data exists for recent years. For data year, see the data sources [9][10].

5000 600
Capacity
500
4000
Power generation (GWh)

Capacity Factor (%)

Installed Capacity (MW)

400
3000
300
2000
200

1000
Capacity factor 100

0 0
1966
1969
1972
1975
1978
1981
1984
1987
1990
1993
1996
1999
2002
2005
2008
2011
2014
2017
2020

Installed capacity MW annal power GWh capacity factor %

Figure 11.2: Geothermal power in Japan7: total installed capacity, power generation, and average capacity
factor

Figure 11.2 shows the long-term trend of total geothermal power plant capacity and generation
in Japan, with the average capacity factor of the geothermal power plants decreasing since

87
the 1970s. This is largely due to insufficient understanding of the reservoir capacities before
development, resulting in some overestimation of production capacities and the installation of
unsustainably large power units. In the long-term this has resulted in an overall decline in
steam production. Therefore, some older power plants have been decommissioned and
replaced with smaller capacity units. Thus, although the total number of units has increased in
recent years, the total capacity decreased between 2012 and 2018. Another reason for
decreasing capacity factor is that many of the new smaller plants are operating with quite low-
capacity factors due to lack of technical investigation beforehand, or run by local business
people who have been attracted by a high FiT price.

11.2 Changes to Policy Supporting Geothermal Development

11.2.1 Recent promotion measures by MOE
In 2020, a Cabinet-led taskforce reviews the laws that prevent or limit deployment of
renewable energy. For geothermal energy use, the taskforce requested amendment of a
guideline and a notification of related laws. MOE conducted these amendments in September
2021. In Japan, geothermal drilling permission is provided under the Hot Spring Law. The most
important amendment is that the permission process for geothermal drilling has been
changed from “wellhead to wellhead control,” which was originally set for drilling of vertical
hot-spring wells allowing local authority to set regulation on wellhead separation that is not
appropriate for directional drilling of geothermal wells, to “reservoir control,” which is more
specific for geothermal development. Another important change is that a sentence in a
prescription of the Natural Park’s Law “Geothermal power generation is basically prohibited in
natural parks” was deleted and replaced by “Geothermal development with special caution on
environment should be encouraged”. For more details, see IEA-GIA “2021 Japan Country
Report.” In 2022, consideration of additional amendments to the Hot Spring Law was made to
be effective in 2023. The major change will be additional information on geothermal
technologies and specialists to be used by local permitting authorities. Possible promotion of
geothermal development by local municipal under the Act on Promotion of Global Warming
Countermeasures will also be described in the guideline.

11.2.2 FiT and other economic supports given by METI

The Japanese government initiated a Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) for wind, geothermal, hydro, and
biomass power in 2012 in addition to that for solar PV introduced in 2010. The tariff price of
geothermal power has been kept high while that of solar PV and wind has been reduced
every year. Then in 2022, the government initiated a Feed-in-Premium (FiP). FiT partially
remains after 2022 under certain conditions, parallel with the new FiP. The condition for the
geothermal FiT, for example, will be for small capacity geothermal power projects led by the
local government or local community.

Beside FiT, METI has been supporting geothermal energy development through various
support measures. METI’s budget for JOGMEC (Japan Organization of Metals and Energy
Security) includes subsidies for geothermal exploration (including drilling) and low interest
loans for construction of geothermal power plants. These measures have brought renewed
interest in geothermal development by private sector organisations, local governments, and
other entities. METI has also been funding geothermal technology developments.

88
The major players of large geothermal developments in Japan used to be mining companies
only, but nowadays, because of governmental support, many other companies have become
involved, such as power companies, real estate, construction, financing or wholesale
companies. Small geothermal power plants are normally owned and run by hot spring owners
or other local businesses.

11.3 Geothermal Project Development

11.3.1 Projects Commissioned
A geothermal development project generally takes a long time from exploration to power
generation. In addition, there are resource risks, which makes geothermal power projects
different from other thermal power projects. In order to assist in managing these risks,
JOGMEC supports the development of geothermal resources using three financial support
mechanisms: grant subsidies, equity capital investments, and loan liability guarantees for
geothermal development.

By the end of December 2022, 95 projects in total have been supported by JOGMEC (61 grant
subsidies for commercial developers, 26 grant subsidies for local municipals, 1 equity capital
investment and 7 loan liability guarantees). The Matsuo-Hachimantai project is a model case in
which JOGMEC’s support mechanisms have worked effectively, from grant subsidies, equity
capital investment, through to the liability guarantees. The operation of this power plant
commenced in January 2019.

Figure 11.3: Geothermal power plants and ongoing projects in Japan as of December 2022

89
In FY2022 (April 2022 to March 2023), 19 projects were accepted for grant subsidies (shown
in red in Figure 11.3), for which 50-100% of the investigation costs are supported. Three
projects out of the 19 are new. In FY20

22 the total value of grant subsidies was ~7 billion JPY (~52 million USD).

11.3.2 Projects Operational

Construction of geothermal power plants has been announced in several areas. At
Minamikayabe, Hokkaido, construction of a 6.5 MWe binary power plant began in 2019 and
will be the largest binary power plant in Japan. It was planned to be operational in 2022 but
this is yet to occur. At Appi, Iwate, a 14.9 MWe geothermal power plant has been under
construction since 2019 and is planned to be operational in April 2024. It has been announced
that the construction of a geothermal power plant at Kijiyama, Akita will begin in 2025, for
completion by 2029. The smallest double flash system of 2.0 MWe, the Nakao Geothermal
Power Plant, has been installed at Okuhida, Gifu, and began operation in December 2022. As
a measure of goodwill with local residents, excess hot water is provided to local hot spring
owners. In some other regions, geothermal power generation projects with capacities smaller
than 1 MWe are ongoing.

Several older geothermal power plants are at the stage of facility replacement. Matsukawa
geothermal power plant (23.5 MWe since 1966) in Iwate, the oldest Geothermal power plant in
Japan, is currently under environmental assessment to be renewed with a smaller 14 MWe unit
in 2025. Construction began in 2022. Onikobe geothermal power plant (15 MWe since 1975),
Miyagi was shut down in 2017, and replacement surface and subsurface facilities under
construction with operations scheduled to recommence in April 2023. Hachijojima
geothermal power plant (3.3 MWe since 1999), Tokyo, was shut down in 2019, with the new
power plant scheduled to commence operation in 2022 with a 4.4 MWe generator. But drilling
problems of a new production well have delayed the schedule of the whole project.

11.4 Research Highlights

Two METI funded agencies; JOGMEC and NEDO (New Energy and industrial technology
Development Organization), started geothermal R&D projects in 2013. JOGMEC is focusing on
surveys, technologies and support that are effective in the shorter term whilst NEDO is
focusing on geothermal technologies that are to be realised in the longer term.

In November 2022, JOGMEC's official name was changed from “Japan Oil, Gas and Metals
National Corporation” to "Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security” in order to add
new functions towards a carbon neutral society, such as equity investments for CCS,
hydrogen, fuel ammonia, and offshore wind power. For geothermal development, JOGMEC
has been undertaking a survey program since 2013 to acquire basic data for the evaluation of
geothermal prospects. The program consists of airborne helicopter geophysical surveys, land-
based geological and geophysical surveys, and drilling mainly for subsurface temperature
surveys. The acquired data is published and used by private companies to develop their new
exploration projects. In 2022, seven survey reports including an airborne geophysical survey
in three regions and six drilling surveys were published. By the end of 2022, airborne
surveying had been conducted in 19 regions, land-based survey in 36 regions, and drilling in
22 regions.

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JOGMEC has four technology development R&D project themes with the specific projects
shown in Table 11.2. Four projects commenced in FY2021, and Theme D, Innovative
Geothermal Technology, was added in FY2021.

Among these projects, B) Drilling Technology “PDC bit for geothermal well” was concluded in
March 2019, resulting in high drilling performance and long durability, but at a bit high cost.
Follow-up experiments to reduce this cost have continued amongst organizations involved. In
2022 the bit price was effectively reduced by reduction of the price of the diamond cutters, so
that the bit is ready to be commercialized (Figure 11.4). As the developed technology may
become commercially viable a few years after the JOGMEC project has concluded, a “follow
up” status item is also included in Table 11.2.

Table 11.2: Geothermal Technology Development by JOGMEC in 2022

Theme Project Status

Exploration for acid fluid control FY2018-

A) Technology for Exploration of
Geothermal Reservoirs Efficient and dense exploration by FY2021-
advanced seismic and MT methods

Highly-deviated well drilling FY2021-

B) Drilling Technology
PDC bit for geothermal well Follow up

C) Geothermal Reservoir Evaluation

and Control Technology (EGS) Artificial recharge using river water FY2013-

EGS technology development using FY2021-

supercritical Carbon Dioxide
D) Innovative Geothermal Technology
Technical and economical evaluation FY2021-
of closed system

91
 Figure 11.4 Configuration of the new 8-1/2” PDC bit (source: JOGMEC)

Since 2017, NEDO has been conducting an R&D project “Development of subduction-origin
supercritical geothermal resources” to utilize 400° to 500°C supercritical fluid at a depth
shallower than 5 km, with a target year of 2040 for a pilot plant to be operational. This is one
of the “NESTI2050” projects, which is looking to contribute to the 2050 CO2 reduction targets
set by the Cabinet of Japan in 2017. Earlier surveys suggested supercritical geothermal
resources may exist proximal to many of the volcanic zones in Japan with a possible total
potential of several tens of giga-watts.

To overcome problems with acid fluid in supercritical conditions, the project covers various
fundamental scientific studies in rock mechanics, material science, geo-science, as well as
technology development, numerical simulation, and drilling. The basic studies are being led by
the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) and Kyoto
University. The first phase of the project was completed in 2020, and the second phase
began in 2021 to select a region for deep drilling in the 3rd phase.

In FY2021 (April 2021 to March 2022), five sub-themes under this project have been
conducted: 1) Potential assessment at Southern Yuzawa, Akita, 2) Potential assessment at
Kakkonda, Iwate, 3) Potential assessment at Hachimantai, Iwate, 4) Potential assessment at
Kuju, Oita and 5) Development of exploration technology for supercritical geothermal
resources using optic fibre DAS. Potential assessments have been conducted by a
combination of advanced geophysical surveys and numerical simulation.

NEDO has also been conducting other geothermal technology developments, such as
“Environmental protection technologies” and “Technology toward higher performance of
geothermal power plant.” Both projects have sub-themes with application of Internet of Things
(IoT) or Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology on monitoring systems.

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11.5 Other National Activities
11.5.1 Geothermal Education
Human resource development is an important issue in the international geothermal
community. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is organizing training courses
for geothermal specialists from developing countries. The program is provided by Kyushu
University with support from other universities, institutes, and private companies in order to
cover all aspects of a geothermal energy development. JICA has also been active in
conducting Official Development Assistance (ODA) projects in geothermal development in
Asian, African, and Latin American countries for many decades.

For domestic capability development, JOGMEC has been providing a three-week-long

geothermal training course every year. In 2022, it was held from late November to mid-
December in Kosaka city, Akita and in Tokyo with 18 participants. It covers the basics of
geothermal energy development including technical, economic, and social aspects with
lectures covering 26 topics. This course is valuable for private developers, especially under a
domestic educational condition whereby geothermal undergraduate or graduate courses are
provided in only a few universities, such as Kyushu University and Tohoku University.

JOGMEC and GNS Science (New Zealand), have a memorandum of understanding for
collaboration in geothermal technology, including education. A joint online short course
“geothermal well targeting” was held on 6 and 7 September 2022 in addition to the past
advanced short courses held in-person in New Zealand. The next advanced short course on
geothermal geochemistry will be held in November 2023.

In April 2022, a private college specialized in geothermal drilling “Geo Power Academy” was
founded in Hokkaido. It teaches a year-long course for high school graduates, with lectures on
geothermal energy and exercises using both real drilling equipment and simulators. Shortage
of geothermal specialists, especially with drilling expertise, is a serious issue in Japan with the
increase of geothermal developments since a nuclear accident in 2011. The opening of the
college is expected to assist in alleviating the human resource shortage.

Since 2013 METI has run a program to raise social acceptance of geothermal power
generation among local residents. It is a subsidy scheme for general public educational
activities undertaken by local governments and/or private sector organisations. Six projects
were adopted in 2022 (c.f., eight in 2020, seven in 2021).

Every year since 2013, JOGMEC has been holding a geothermal symposium around the 8th
October, which is the anniversary day of the opening of the first geothermal power plant
Matsukawa in 1966. The purpose of the symposium is to increase the knowledge and the
understanding of geothermal energy use amongst the general public. It has been held in cities
that have geothermal potential. However, in 2022, the 10th anniversary of the symposia, it was
held in mid-Tokyo as a hybrid event (in-person meeting and live stream) on 7-8th October. The
Geothermal Symposium 2022 consisted of a forum, exhibitions, and a special exhibition for
children with interesting quizzes. The forum began with keynote speeches by a Diet member
and geothermal experts, followed by panel discussions with users of geothermal heat,
geothermal specialists, popular influencers and intellectual celebrities who have interests in
environmental protection. 2364 people accessed the symposium on-line, and 104 people,

93
including citizens and members of the Diet attended the venue. The messages from
celebrities on environmental protection and energy security through the use of geothermal
energy gave strong positive messages to the audience.

Figure 11.5: Poster of “2022 Geothermal Anniversary Day”, posted at major stations and other public
spaces in Tokyo

Social acceptability is important for geothermal development projects, however a wide

technical knowledge gap exists between geothermal energy businesspeople and local
government officials, making it difficult for the officials to moderate local opinions. Aiming at
bridging this gap, JOGMEC established in June 2016 a third-party expert organisation, the
“Advisory Committee for Geothermal Resources Development”. Eight matters of consultation
were discussed in FY2022.

11.5.2 Conferences
The Geothermal Research Society of Japan (GRSJ) held its annual conference in Tokyo on 8-
10th November 2022. The number of participants was the largest in the history of the event as
shown in Figure 11.6. The figure shows that the number of participants and presentations are
increasing after the Fukushima 2011 event, when the government restarted supporting
geothermal developments. In 2020 the conference was cancelled due to COVID19, however
the conference proceedings were still published and distributed.

The number of oral presentations in 2022 was 85, with topics of GSHP (12), geophysics (11),
EGS (8), simulation (8), scaling (7), geochemistry (7), drilling (6), super-critical geothermal (6),
social and economic aspects (5), reservoir engineering (5), geology (4), well logging (1), global
environment (1), thermal structure (1), international collaboration (1), and others (2). In 2023, the
annual conference will be held in Gifu city.

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 Figure 11.6: The number of participants to GRSJ annual conference (source: GRSJ)

11.5.3 Publications
GRSJ continues quarterly journal publications of academic papers on geothermal topics.
However, in 2022 it also edited a book to introduce geothermal energy for the general public.
Published by Seizando in October 2022, the title of the book is “50 Questions on Geothermal
Energy” (in Japanese; Figure 11.7), becoming the 18th issue of Seizando’s “50 Questions”
series. A special editing committee of GRSJ selected 50 questions on geothermal resources
and their use, and 28 GRSJ members wrote the answers in a language suited for the lay-
person.

Figure 11.7: Cover of the book “50 Questions on Geothermal Energy” published in 2022 and edited by
GRSJ, to introduce geothermal energy to the Japanese general public.

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11.6 References
[1] Yamaguchi, Oishi and Esaki: Current Status of Development of Geothermal Power
Generation in Japan, Proceedings WGC1995 (1995)

[2] Fuchino: Status of Geothermal Power Generation in Japan, Proceedings WGC2000 (2000)

[3] Kawazoe and Shirakura: Geothermal Power Geneeration and Direct Use in Japan,
Proceeding WGC2005 (2005)

[4] Sugino and Akeno: 2010 Country Update of Japan, Proceedings WGC2010 (2010)

[5] Yasukawa and Sasada: Country Update of Japan: Renewed Opportunities, Proceedings
WGC2015 (2015)

[6] Yasukawa, Nishikawa, Sasada and Okumura: Country Update of Japan, Proceedings
WGC2020 (2020)

[7] Robertson-Tait, Harvey, Hamm and Boyd: The United States of America Country Update
2020 – Power Generation, Proceedings WGC2020 (2020)

[8] The Present State and Trend of Geothermal Power Generation of Japan in 2019: Thermal
and Nuclear Power Engineering Society (2021)

[9] Kurasaka et al.: Sustainable Zone FY2018 Report, Kurasaka Lab of Chiba University and ISEP
(2019), available also on net: http://sustainable-zone.org/wordpress/wp-
content/uploads/SZ2018_report.pdf
[10] New Energy Foundation (NEF): Current status of direct use of geothermal energy in Japan (in
Japanese) (2012)
[11] Ministry of the Environment (MOE): 2018 Assessment result on usage of GSHP in Japan (in
Japanese) (2019)

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 12. Iceland (2020)
María Guðmundsdóttir
Orkustofnun, Grensasvegi 9, IS 108 Reykjavik, Iceland.
[email protected]

12.1 Introduction
Utilisation of geothermal resources has expanded rapidly in Iceland during the last two
decades and is expected to increase further in the future. Electricity generation increased
from 5.0 TWh in 2016 to 6.0 TWh in 2020 and geothermal heat use from 27.1 PJ in 2015 to
33.7 PJ in 2019. A population growth of 36% is expected by 2050, and geothermal utilization
is estimated to increase by over 70% by 2050, to almost 50 PJ. Iceland’s long-term objective
is to ensure the sustainable utilisation of its resources, and the implementation of the Master
Plan for hydro and geothermal energy resources in Iceland is a step in maintaining and
sustaining this objective. Iceland has developed a great deal of know-how and experience in
the harnessing of geothermal resources, both for space heating and electricity generation.

During the 20th century Iceland has emerged from being a nation dependent upon imported
oil and coal, to a country where practically all stationary energy, and close to 90% of primary
energy, is derived from domestic renewable sources, with near carbon-free electricity
production in 2020. This is the result of an effective policy in making renewable energy a
long-term priority in Iceland. Nowhere else does geothermal energy play a greater role in
providing a nation’s energy supply. Figure 12.1 Figure 12.1 Satellite image of Iceland in winter
showing geothermal production wells in operation. Geothermal power plants are shown in
red, heat utilites in blue.identifies the main production wells in Iceland operated for electricity
generation (red), and by heat utilities (blue) that have a natural monopoly license. Auto-
producers, of which there are over 100 in Iceland, are excluded and they only contribute 14%
of the final electricity use. However, for heat use, main activity producers dominate, with 91%
of total heat use in 2019.

Figure 12.1 Satellite image of Iceland in winter showing geothermal production wells in operation.
Geothermal power plants are shown in red, heat utilites in blue.

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Table 12.1 2020 Iceland Geothermal energy use data

Electricity Direct Use

Total Installed Capacity (MWe) 757.4 Total Installed Capacity (MWth) 2500*

New Installed Capacity (MWe) New Installed Capacity (MWth) 12*

Total Running Capacity (MWe) 755.4 Total Heat Used (PJ/yr) [GWh/yr] 33.7* PJ

Contribution to National Capacity 25.8* Total Installed Capacity Heat N/A

(%) Pumps (MWth)

Total Generation (GWh) 5960.6 Total Net Heat Pump Use [GWh/yr] N/A

Contribution to National 31.6 Target (PJ/yr) N/A

Generation (%)

Target (MWe or % national Estimated Country Potential (MWth

generation) N/A or PJ/yr or GWh/yr) N/A

Estimated Country Potential (MWe 4255

or GWh) MWe
(N/A = data not available)
(* indicates estimated values)

Figure 12.2: Electricity generation from geothermal power plants in Iceland 1969-2020

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Figure 12.3: Total heat use in Iceland in 2019, of which 97.4% is from geothermal sources.

12.2 Changes to Policy Supporting Geothermal Development

Geothermal policy has essentially remained unchanged in recent years in Iceland. Geothermal
development is mature with more than 90% of households using geothermal energy for
heating, and over 30% of electricity being produced using geothermal. Geothermal power
development is not supported by any market incentives in Iceland. The Energy fund, operated
by Orkustofnun, supports geothermal development in areas where geothermal is not used for
heating, often referred to as “cold” areas. In the “cold” areas heating is mainly electrical and
subsidized by the government since it is more expensive than geothermal heating. A lump
sum comprising 16 years-worth of subsidies is available to those who want to establish a
geothermal heating system, or other more efficient means of heating, such as heat pumps.

12.3 Geothermal Project Development

12.3.1 Projects Commissioned
Currently there are several geothermal related projects being explored. Many are related to
tourism, such as geothermal baths which have proven to be very popular with both visitors
and locals. One such project is currently under construction in Eyjafjörður, N Iceland, and will
utilise hot water that was unexpectedly discovered when a road tunnel was drilled through the
Vaðlaheiði mountain in 2014. The hot water delayed the construction of the tunnel and was
considered a nuisance, however the local authorities decided to launch a competition for
ideas on how to use the water. The new baths are the result of this process and are expected
to open in spring 2022.

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Figure 12.4. Hot water in the Vaðlaheiði tunnel in 2014 (Source: Vaðlaheiðargöng)

Cascaded use of geothermal fluid as well as by-products of generation is increasing at

Icelandic geothermal power plants. The Reykjanes Resource Park was established several
years ago, with companies using wastewater and other waste products from the Svartsengi
and Reykjanes power plants. This includes the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, companies
involved in fish drying, fish farming, agriculture and more. Now there are plans for a resource
park at the Hellisheiði geothermal plant, including a hydrogen production facility that will use
electricity produced by the power plant during off-peak hours. Hydrogen production might
prove to be vital to Iceland’s future plans for renewables in transport.

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Figure 12.5. Hydrogen pilot plant at Hellisheiði (Source: ON power).

12.3.2 Low temperature Electricity and District heating

Several geothermal fields in Iceland have medium-enthalpy geothermal fluid with a
temperature of over 100°C that is being used for district heating. However, the temperature of
the fluid is too high to be used directly for district heating so in many cases cold water is
mixed with the geothermal fluid to bring the temperature down to around 80°C, creating
waste heat. In 2016, these areas were mapped by Orkustofnun and their electrical and
thermal potential was assessed prompting interest from the geothermal sector (Björn Már
Sveinbjörnsson, 2106). In 2018, a new geothermal plant at Flúðir, South Iceland, started
producing electricity using water from a well that was already used for district heating. The
same company, Varmaorka, is currently constructing two new plants in Reykholt, West Iceland,
and Efri-Reykir, South Iceland. These geothermal fields are similar to the Flúðir field, as the
geothermal fluid has a temperature over 100°C and is currently being used for district heating.

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Figure 12.6. Electricity producing units by Climeon at the Flúðir field (Source: Climeon).

The new geothermal district heating system in Hornafjörður municipality started operations in
December 2019. Previously, the town of Höfn (pop. 1710 in 2019) and the surrounding
countryside had used subsidized direct electrical heating and district heating using an electric
boiler, but now uses geothermal water from the field in Hoffell, 20 km north of the town.

Figure 12.7. Pumping station for the new geothermal district heating system in Hornafjörður municipality,
SE-Iceland.

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12.4 Research Highlights
New and effective exploration techniques have been developed to discover geothermal
resources. This has led to the development of geothermal heating services in regions that
were not thought to enjoy suitable geothermal resources. Iceland’s geothermal industry is
now sufficiently developed for the government to play a more limited role than before. Power
companies now take the lead in the exploration for geothermal resources; either in
geothermal fields that are already being utilized, or in discovering new fields.

The Icelandic Government supports the Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) with 342 million
ISK, along with the three largest energy companies. If successful, this project could start a new
era in geothermal development. The main purpose is to find out if it is economically feasible to
extract energy and chemicals out of hydrothermal systems at supercritical conditions. The first
well, IDDP-1 in Krafla yielded superheated steam after drilling into magma at roughly 2 km
depth. The second well IDDP-2 was drilled from August 2016 to January 2017 in Reykjanes.
For this phase Norwegian company Statoil joined the original partners, and the drilling was
made possible with a €20 million grant from the EU Horizon 2020 programme. The drilling
was successful and reached supercritical conditions at 4,659 m. The temperature was
measured to be 427°C with a fluid pressure of 340 bars. Cores were retrieved for further study
and the rock appears to be permeable at depth. There are exciting times ahead for this
project and the third IDDP well is being planned in the Hengill area.

Figure 12.8: IDDP-2 in the process of drilling (Source: HS Orka).

Orkustofnun also supports several projects coordinated by the Icelandic Geothermal Research
Cluster GEORG, e.g. the Deep Roots for Geothermal Systems (DRG-project) aimed at research
of the roots of magma-driven high temperature geothermal systems.

The CarbFix and SulFix projects, operated by Reykjavík Energy, reinject gases from
geothermal fluid extracted at Hellisheiði power plant with good results. According to research
the gases mineralize in the basalt bedrock in less than two years. Currently, around 65% of
H2S and 30% of CO2 from the power plant is being injected. The project is ongoing and there
are plans to expand it at Hellisheiði to capture more emissions, as well as further developing it

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for use in other locations. In 2019, Reykjavík Energy founded a new subsidiary that will be
focused on further developing the CarbFix method. Additionally, there is a carbon capture
pilot project, constructed by Climeworks, underway at Hellisheiði power plant, where CO2 will
be captured from the air and injected in already operational injection wells.

Figure 12.9. Climeworks CO2 collectors at Hellisheiði power plant (Source: Climeworks).

12.5 Other National Activities

12.5.1 Geothermal Education
The UNESCO GRÓ Geothermal training programme (previously the United Nations University-
Geothermal Training Programme, UNU-GTP) has been operating in Iceland since 1979, with
the aim of assisting developing countries with significant geothermal potential to establish
groups of specialists in geothermal exploration and development. A graduate programme was
started in 2000 in cooperation with the University of Iceland, and several UNU-GTP students
have since continued their studies to obtain MSc and PhD degrees. UNU-GTP receives its
funding from the government of Iceland, 5 M US$/yr. Since 1979, 718 scientists have
graduated from 63 countries. They have come from countries in Africa (39%), Asia (35%), Latin
America (15%), Central and Eastern Europe (10%), and Oceania (1%). Amongst these have been
169 women (23.5%). On January 1, 2020 the name of the programme was changed to
UNESCO GRÓ Geothermal Training Programme, as it is now operated under the auspices of
UNESCO and no longer affiliated with the United Nations University.

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Iceland School of Energy was established at Reykjavik University which offers postgraduate
courses in the field of renewable energy. University of Iceland also offers specialized post
graduate studies in renewable energy, focusing on geothermal energy.

12.5.2 Conferences
The World Geothermal Congress 2020 which was supposed to take place in Iceland was
postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The organisers announced that the event will take
place online in 2021, as well as at an in-person event in Reykjavík in October.

12.5.3 Publications
Icelandic scientists produce numerous publications on geothermal development and research
every year, in peer reviewed journals such as Geothermics.

Publications on projects supported by GEORG research group:

http://georg.cluster.is/publications/papers/

12.6 Useful Websites

Orkustofnun Data Repository: http://www.nea.is/the-national-energy-authority/energy-
data/data-repository/

UNESCO GRÓ Geothermal training programme: https://www.grocentre.is/gtp

GEORG Geothermal Research Cluster: http://georg.cluster.is/

Iceland Deep Drilling Project: http://iddp.is/

Iceland School of Energy. https://en.ru.is/ise/

12.7 Future Activity

The Icelandic Government published a white paper on sustainability in the Icelandic society in
1997, in which the need for the development of a long-term Master Plan for energy use in
Iceland was stressed. All proposed projects are to be evaluated and categorized on the basis
of energy efficiency and economics, as well as on the basis of the environmental impact of
power developments. The vision is to prepare an overview of the various potential energy
projects in hydro, geothermal and wind, and to evaluate and rank these based on their energy
and economic potential, feasibility, effects on national economy, and the estimated impact
that each project would have on nature, environment, cultural heritage and society, as well as
the potential for other uses of the areas in question. The Master Plan is to be based on the
best available scientific information and the conclusions are to be transparent, reproducible,
and made available to the public. It was of vital importance to establish public confidence in
the evaluation process. The Master Plan aims to identify power projects that rank highly from
an economical point of view, have a minimum negative impact on the environment, and a
positive impact on the society. Such a score card for energy projects helps decision makers to
filter out which of the proposed projects are likely to become controversial and disputed and
which ones not. It also directs attention to those project areas that might have protection

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value and should be left untouched. The third cycle of the Master Plan, which includes 33
geothermal options, was presented to the Minister for Environment in September 2016, and in
May 2017 parliament commenced reviewing the material. As of 2020 the third cycle has not
been confirmed by parliament although work on the fourth cycle has also been completed.
There are 10 planned geothermal projects categorised for utilisation in the third cycle, but
since it has not been confirmed by parliament, development (drilling, construction etc.) cannot
begin. The exception is geothermal projects that were also proposed in the second cycle,
which is the last cycle to have been confirmed, back in 2013. The future of the Master Plan
remains unclear.

Direct geothermal use is expected to increase with population increases. It is estimated that
heat use will reach 50 PJ in 2050 (Figure 12.10).

Figure 12.10: Geothermal utilization forecast 2007-2050 (Orkustofnun, 2015).

12.8 References
Björn Már Sveinbjörnsson (2016). Medium Enthalpy Geothermal Systems in Iceland - Thermal
and Electric Potential. Prepared for Orkustofnun. https://orkustofnun.is/gogn/Skyrslur/ISOR-
2016/ISOR-2016-008.pdf
Carbfix (2020). Accessed February 7th, 2020. https://www.carbfix.com/
Climeworks (2021). Orca updates – the latest news on the construction process.
https://climeworks.com/orca
Hornafjörður Municipality (2019). Ný hitaveita í Hornafirði (e. new District Heating System in
Hornafjörður). https://www.hornafjordur.is/stjornsysla/sveitarfelagid/frettasafn/ny-hitaveita-i-
hornafirdi
Orkustofnun (2020). OS-2020-T012-01: Installed capacity and electricity production in
Icelandic power stations in 2019 [data file].
Orkustofnun (2020). OS-2020-T010-01: Final Heat Use in Iceland 2019 by District Heating
Area [data file].

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Orkustofnun (2021). OS-2021-T004-01: Installed Electrical Capacity and Electricity Generation
of Geothermal Power Plants in Iceland 1969-2020 [data file].
Orkustofnun (2021). OS-2021-T008-01: Primary Energy Use in Iceland 1940-2020 [data file].
Vaðlaheiðargöng (2014). Mikið vatn eftir rjúkandi gang síðu viku.
https://www.vadlaheidi.is/is/frettir/mikid-vatn-eftir-rjukandi-gang-sidu-viku
Varmaorka (2021). https://varmaorka.is/

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 13. Italy
Sara Montomoli and Marco Paci
Enel Green Power S.P.A.
[email protected] , [email protected]

13.1 Introduction

Figure 13.1: Nuova San Martino 40 MWe Geothermal Power Plant, Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy

In Italy, geothermal resources are used for both electricity generation and direct use. Power
plants are located in Tuscany in the two “historical” areas of Larderello-Travale and Mount
Amiata. Direct geothermal use is widespread over the whole of Italy.

To date, Enel Green Power (EGP) is the only geo-electricity producer in Italy. At the end of
2021 the installed capacity was 915.8 MWe with the gross electricity generation for the 2021
year reaching 5,917 GWh. No additional capacity was commissioned during 2022. In 2021, the
share of the total electricity consumption covered by geothermal energy was ~2.1% (6 TWh of
the total electricity consumption of 311 TWh).

Despite being pioneers in geothermal electricity production and with potential to double the
installed capacity the most recent power plant commissioned was Bagnore 4 in 2015. Figure
13.1 is of the Nuova San Martino plant commissioned in 2005.

The reference year for direct geothermal use statistics is 2020. At the end of the year the
installed capacity reached 1316 MWth, with a corresponding total energy use of 9668 TJ/yr.
Building space heating is the main sector utilising geothermal, accounting for 41% and 49%
respectively in terms of installed capacity and energy use. Health, recreation, and tourism is
the second largest user by sector representing 30% of both energy and installed capacity; the
balance of agriculture, fish farming, and food processing accounts for 20% (1908 TJ/yr) of the
energy use and about 10% (133 MWth) of the overall installed capacity. Industrial process heat

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and minor other uses amount to less than 1% of the total, with a capacity of 18 MWth using ~107
TJ/yr.

Ground-source heat pumps (GSHPs) constitute the main technology delivering geothermal
heat accounting for 43% of the total installed capacity and ~36% of the energy.

Geothermal district heating systems represent about 9% of the total utilisation (856TJ/yr) with
a total installed capacity of ~164MWth. The systems are mainly in the Tuscany Region near the
geothermal electric power production areas. The other main areas of direct use are in Ferrara,
Milano and Vicenza.

Growth in direct use has been slow, mainly due to plants already constructed and operating in
the areas where these applications are currently economically viable. Compared with 2017
data, the heating and cooling (H&C) sector has experienced a reduction of about 11% in terms
of geothermal heat use, due mainly to the temporary closure of spa facilities through the
COVID-19 pandemic ( -15% in terms of heat delivery). Installed capacity and heat use have
both experienced reductions, ( -8% and -11% respectively) 53. Heating in the building sector is
the notable exception which is growing.

Table 13.1 provides the official geothermal energy use data for Italy. Electricity data is for 2021
and direct use data for 2020.

Table 13.1: Geothermal energy data - 2021 for electricity and 2020 for direct use

Electricity (2021) Direct Use (2020)

Total Installed Capacity (MWe) 915.18 Total Installed Capacity (MWth) 1316

New Installed Capacity (MWth)

New Installed Capacity (MWe) 0 -109
(2017-2020)

Total Running Capacity (MWe) 773.7 Total Heat Used (TJ/yr) 9668

Contribution to National Capacity Total Installed Capacity Heat

(%) N/A Pumps (MWth) 572

Total Generation (GWh) 5917 Total Net Heat Pump Use (TJ/yr) 3504

Contribution to National 2.1 Target (PJ/yr) N/A

Generation (%)
(N/A = data not available)

53 Aquaculture data variation is mainly ascribed to a different methodology and data source compared to what was used in the 2019 Country Report.
An estimation of the actual reduction between 2017 and 2020 is about -20 % in terms of both installed capacity and energy use.

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13.2 Changes to Policy Supporting Geothermal Development
Geothermal energy has been declared to be a strategic energy source for Italy (L. 134, 2012)
having the potential to significantly accelerate the energy transition. The large potential that
Italy has for combined heat and power production, facilities heating and cooling (H&C), and
District Heating (DH) demonstrates the significant role this energy source can play into the
future.

In 2020 the electricity needs of Italy reached 312.73 GWh (including the energy needed for
auxiliary services), with a reduction of more than 6% compared to 2018 due to the reduction in
consumption linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020 domestic production was 89.7% with
10.3% imported (Terna 2021). Of the 280.5 TWh of net domestic electricity generation; 64.6%
comes from thermal, 17.7% from hydro and 17.7% combined from geothermal, wind, and solar.
Although the contribution of geothermal electricity generation is ~2.1% of the total Italian
generation, it supplies over 30% of the electricity needs of Tuscany, making a substantial
contribution to green energy generation.

In 2020 the average market price of electricity was 3.98 Eurocent/kWh (GSE, 2021). The value
of the GRIN tariff (Ex green certificates) for the geothermal generation plants that have access
to this incentive was 10.9 Eurocent/kWh additional to the average electricity market price. To
this there are reduction coefficients applied depending on the technology type and the type
of intervention (GSE, 2021).

The 2016 FER Decree defined a “Base Incentive Fee” for geothermal plants:

• 13.4 Eurocent/kWh (under 1 MWe installed Capacity),

• 9.8 Eurocent/kWh (for plants between 1 MWe and 5 MWe), and
• 8.4 Eurocent/kWh (over 5 MWe installed Capacity).

All these tariffs were inclusive of the average electricity market price (Ministerial Decree D.M.
23/06/2016).

The FER1 Ministerial Decree (4 July 2019) “Incentivazione dell'energia elettrica prodotta dagli
impianti eolici on shore, solari fotovoltaici, idroelettrici e a gas residuati dei processi di
depurazione (19A05099) (GU Serie Generale n.186 del 09-08-2019)” excluded geothermal
energy incentives.

A new FER2 Decree is expected before the end of 2023.

In 2019 a regional regulation in Tuscany was approved “legge regionale 5 febbraio 2019, n. 7 ,
Disposizioni in materia di geotermia”, this is a significant step towards the circular economy
and environmental & sustainability vision for geothermal power plants. The main aspects of
the regulation are that in issuing new leases (leases are expiring before 2024) it will be
mandatory to:
• Use the best technology and operational procedures available.
• limit the hours of non-operation of geothermal plants to no more than 2 percent of the
total annual operating hours.
• ensure the transfer and reuse of at least 10% of the CO2 emitted (free of charge)

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 • ensure the reuse of at least 50% of the residual thermal energy produced annually that
is not used for the production of electricity, to be operational within one year from the
start-up of the plant.

Regarding thermal energy production, the Italian Energy Strategy released in 2017 (MISE,
2017) does not forecast any specific increase or promotion of heat production from
geothermal energy sources whist only vaguely referring to expanding heat pump uses and
district heating infrastructure.

In Italy the promotion of renewable energy resources (RES) in the heating and cooling sector
is achieved through tax relief at 55% of the cost of the installed RES technologies (the so-
called “Conto Termico”, i.e. Thermal Account), and as part of wider measures promoting
energy savings in the building sector being for:
1) new buildings which are not yet fully operational, the obligation to cover a quota (50%)
of their energy needs for domestic hot water with renewable sources, and
2) existing buildings, the possibility of deducting 55% of the retrofit costs incurred from
personal income tax (IRPEF) or corporate income tax (IRES) obligations (the “Ecobonus”).

Since 1998, tax incentives benefit users connected to district heating networks fed by
geothermal energy sources. This mechanism pays the end user an incentive for the energy
provided from the district heating network, which was 25.8 €/MWh up to 2014 after which it
reduced to 21.95 €/MWh. There is also an installed capacity incentive of ~21 €/kWth paid to
the end user through a tax credit mechanism that partially covers the cost of connection.

After the release of the RePower EU communication by the European Commission there is the
expectation that the legislative framework and support measures in the three main Italian
geothermal sectors will be reworked and improved. At the end of April 2022 Law 34/2022
introduced urgent measures to control natural gas and energy costs, develop renewable
energy sources, and relaunch industrial and energy policies. There is a clear endorsement for
the development of GSHP supported by both closed (BHE) and open loop heat exchangers.
The Italian Geothermal Platform (https://www.cngeologi.it/2022/06/24/convegno-webinar-
gratuito-stati-generali-della-geotermia/) is contributing to the finalisation of these processes
which could significantly boost GSHP for H&C in single houses, housing blocks and cities
contributing to decarbonisation, energy savings and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
in urban areas.

The District Heating sector is suffering because of the absence of legislative and regulatory
instruments which are preventing the deployment of DH systems fed by RES or locally
available waste heat.

The electric power production sector has been stagnant for the past two decades and is
waiting legislative reform and improved support measures following Decree n.22/2010 re-
organising the framework on research and development of geothermal resources.

UGI and Associazione Italiana Riscaldamento Urgano (AIRU), with the support of EGEC, settled
the Tavolo Tecnico “Geotermia per la Transizione Energetica” (TTG) in February 2022. The
document has been signed by 10 heating sector operators and 14 from the geothermoelectric
sector. UGI and AIRU will facilitate and coordinate the follow up sessions and activities. The
target of this technical activity is to underline and highlight the significant contribution that

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geothermal energy can make to the Italian energy transition and to identify barriers that
prevent full deployment. The TTG is supporting decision makers in releasing value from the
extraordinary Italian geothermal potential as the nation works on a quick, sustainable, secure,
and low-impact energy transition. The TTG, in collaboration with the Italian Geothermal
Platform, is contributing its expertise and entrepreneurship to policy improvement of the FER2
that should enable the development of innovative geothermal plants within the next five years.

13.3 Geothermal Project Development

13.3.1 Projects Commissioned
In 2022 no new geothermal electrical generating units were under construction or
commissioned.

Between 2017 and 2019 four new DH networks in Tuscany were established: two in the
Travale-Radicondoli area (in Radicondoli and Chiusdino villages), and two in the Mount Amaita
area (Piancastagnaio). La Rota (capacity of 4,4MWth) in the Mount Amiata area was completed
in 2017 providing heat to 19 enterprises, two farming facilities and a religious centre. The
network in Radicondoli commenced operation in the winter of 2018-2019, with a capacity of
5.8 MWth. The Piancastagnaio village network development commenced operation in 2019
supplying 1100 buildings, while the Chiusdino network although only partially completed
commenced production in 2019 with an overall installed capacity of 9MWth by 2020. The
Chiusdino network comprises two districts (one working and one under construction) with
energy delivery of 13,68 TJ/yr and 32,40 TJ/yr respectively.

As a consequence the GSHP and the DH sectors account for 9% and 36% of the total
geothermal energy used in Italy in 2020. The same statistics in 2017 were 8% and 29%.

Between 2020 to 2022 no new DH plants were under construction or commissioned.

13.3.2 Projects Operational

Geothermal fields

Figure 13.2: location of the geothermal fields in Italy

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All of the Italian geothermal fields used for electricity generation are located in Tuscany (Figure
13.2: Larderello, Travale-Radicondoli, Bagnore and Piancastagnaio (the latter two being
located in the Mount Amiata area).

The activities carried out by EGP over the last three years have been concentrated in the
Larderello and Travale-Radicondoli areas targeting field management optimisation to reduce
and ameliorate decline. Acceptability problems from local communities have hindered further
developments in the Mt. Amiata area where great potential for expanded utilisation of deep
geothermal energy exists.

Electricity generation

The historical trend of geothermal electricity generation in Italy is shown in Figure 13.3, where
two periods of increased geothermal generation are shown: the first in the period from 1930s
to the mid-1970s relates to the development of the shallow carbonate reservoir with well
depths down to about 1000m. The second, from the beginning of the 1980s up to now, is
based on deeper drilling and recharge support of the depleted shallow reservoirs by
reinjection of water and condensed steam.

Figure 13.3: Historical trend of electricity generation from geothermal resources in Italy

All 34 of the Italy’s geothermal power plants are managed by EGP. As of 2022 all these power
plants had AMIS mercury and hydrogen sulphide abatement plants in operation. The average
availability of the AMIS plants (hours of operation vs hours of operation of the associated
power plant) exceeded 90%.

All of the geothermal power plants managed by EGP in Italy are remotely controlled and
operated from a Remote Control Station located in Larderello, where 12 people work on shift
around the clock (24/7) ensuring continuous operational oversight.

Installed geothermal capacity in 2021 was 915.8 MWe with gross electricity generation of 5917
GWh. Taking into account the actual operating conditions in the different areas (pressure,
temperature, non- condensable gas content in the steam, etc), the total running capacity,
called Reference Net Capacity, is 773.7 MWe.

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Thermal production

In the years 2017 – 2020, Installed capacity and heat use have both experienced a general
reduction, i.e., -8% and -11%, respectively. Heating for buildings is one notable exception to
these general reducing trends. That sector increased from 739 MWth to 779 MWth (+5%) in
terms of installed capacity and from 4566 TJ/y to 4725 TJ/y in terms of geoheat energy use
(+3%). During the 3-year period, the yearly average increase has been about 1%/yr and 2%/yr
for power and energy, respectively. The increase in the building sector was led by the GSHP
market (+40 MW of installed geo-capacity and +239 TJ/yr of geo-heat use). Additionally, the
DH sector has increased its contribution with 12 MW of additional thermal capacity installed.

In 2020, the GSHP and the DH sectors account for 9% and 36% of the total geothermal
energy used in Italy. The same statistics in 2017 were 8% and 29%. Variation in the
aquaculture data is mainly ascribed to a different methodology and data sources compared to
the one used in the 2019 Country Update report. An estimation of the actual reduction
between 2017 and 2020 is -20% in terms of both installed capacity and energy use. Statistics
on the agriculture sector are affected by similar statistical uncertainty due to the different data
sources used in this report compared to the previous one. However, a reasonable analysis of
the numbers suggests that the sector has not significantly changed during the 2017 – 2020
period, with the geo-heat use in the range of 650 – 700 TJ/yr.

Figure 13.4 and Table 13.2 provide sector data on the installed geothermal capacity in 2020.

Figure 13.4: Share of geothermal installed capacity by sector in Italy in 2020

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 Table 13.2: Installed geothermal capacity by sector in Italy at the end of 2020 (values in MWth).

13.4 Research Highlights

In recent years, due to an increasing emphasis on sustainable development, and reducing and
mitigating environmental impacts, a number of research projects have been carried out on soil
gas emissions / flux, power plant emissions, the reuse of geothermal gases and mineral
recovery from geothermal brines.

The recent evolution of the legislative framework (see Chapter 2) focusses research towards
geothermal gas reuse (mainly CO2) and the circular value of geothermal resources (i.e. mineral
recovery from geothermal brines).

In 2022 a partnership between EGP and Vulcan Energy has been established: the partnership
will allow the two companies to launch studies and joint initiatives aimed at investigating
geothermal lithium projects in Italy. A wide-ranging agreement, which puts geothermal lithium
research at the center, making the most of the development opportunities offered by the
“Cesano” license on the outskirts of Rome. The agreement signed by EGP and Vulcan Energy
brings together their respective expertise in geothermal energy and lithium extraction to
develop joint initiatives, at the Lazio site and elsewhere.

In 2022 Enel Green Power Italia and Nippon Gases Operations, part of the Nippon Gases Italia
group that specialise in atmospheric and process industrial gases, signed an agreement to
build a new plant for the reuse, purification and liquefaction of food grade geothermal CO2
from the Piancastagnaio power plants in the province of Siena. EGP will provide the
geothermal fluid from the power plant to enable Nippon Gases to capture the CO2 via an
innovative process that then involves purification and liquefaction of CO2 using best practice
technologies.

A research activity based on measuring the soil gas flux in the Mt. Amiata volcanic -
geothermal area and comparing the diffuse volcanic soil gas emissions with the emissions
from geothermal fields in operation, demonstrated that the currently operating geothermal
power plants (GPPs) in that area produce energy at a zero-emission level. The natural flux of
soil gas is high with respect to power plant gas emissions, independently from the occurrence
of GPPs in the area. Furthermore, the CO2 emitted from power plants seems to reduce the
quantity of natural emissions. During the GPPs' life cycle, CO2 emissions in the atmosphere

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are reduced further because of the reinjection of gas-free aqueous fluids in geothermal
reservoirs.

13.5 Other National Activities

13.5.1 Conferences
• Convegno-webinar “STATI GENERALI DELLA GEOTERMIA” – Consiglio Nazionale dei
Geologi (cngeologi.it)

• Workshop "Geothermal energy for the ecological transition" held at Department of

Earth Sciences - University of Rome - La Sapienza

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 • The conference "Accelerating Geothermal", organised by the International
Geothermal Association (IGA) in Larderello (Italy) on 11 and 12 October 2022.

• Geotermia per la transizione energetica: riscaldamento e raffrescamento rinnovabile -

8 April 2022, Naples

13.5.2 Publications
https://www.mise.gov.it/index.php/it/198-notizie-stampa/2040101-decreto-fer1-pubblicato-in-
gazzetta-ufficiale

https://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/eli/id/2019/05/25/19R00137/S3

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353043093_Tracing_Ancient_Carbon_Dioxide_Emi
ssion_in_the_Larderello_Area_by_Means_of_Historical_Boric_Acid_Production_Data

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353669621_Analysis_of_Natural_and_Power_Plant
_CO2_Emissions_in_the_Mount_Amiata_Italy_Volcanic-
Geothermal_Area_Reveals_Sustainable_Electricity_Production_at_Zero_Emissions

13.6 Useful Websites

https://www.unionegeotermica.it/
https://www.egec.org/
https://www.etip-dg.eu/
https://www.enelgreenpower.com/
https://www.enel.com/
https://www.airu.it/
https://www.mise.gov.it/index.php/it/198-notizie-stampa/2040101-decreto-fer1-pubblicato-in-
gazzetta-ufficiale
https://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/eli/id/2019/05/25/19R00137/S3

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https://greenreport.it/news/scienze-e-ricerca/il-rapporto-tra-geotermia-e-co2-in-toscana-
finalmente-spiegato/

13.7 Future Activity

Together with the other RES, geothermal, locally available waste heat, and heat storage in the
ground, groundwater and the coastal marine areas, have the potential to accelerate the Italian
energy transition particularly in the areas of H&C and hot water supply.

AIRU estimated that the present 400 networks for DH distribute about 9.3 TWh/y (about 2.3 %
of the national heat demand), but with the potential for increased deployment of DH systems
to about 38 TWh

Electric power generation has large potential in Tuscany, Latium, Campania, and in parts of
Sicily and Sardinia Island. Coastal areas and islands on the Tyrrhenian side are also excellent
sites to consider for zero emission binary plants that could be integrated with water
desalination infrastructure. The GTT estimated that the realisation of geothermal projects (by
EGP and other operators of Rete Geotermica) presently being authorisation and with permits
in progress, or with leases just released, should contribute an additional 240 MWe of
geothermal electric capacity by 2030. Projects in prefeasibility and feasibility phases could
see the installation of a further 120 MWe capacity by 2035. This 360 MWe (equivalent to about
3 TWh) of additional geothermal capacity would represent an important contribution (3 %) to
the total Italian RES production capacity estimated by the Italian Government to be about 100
TWh, mainly supplied from 70 GW of installed capacity provided by wind and PV. In addition, a
benefit of renewable geothermal is support for operational stability of the electrical grid.

The rate of development for geothermal resources for electricity generation in Italy is currently
slow, with difficulties being, the:

• time for authorisation is long and unpredictable

• electricity tariff is often not guaranteed for a sufficiently long period of time for business
uptake or it results in an increased level of financial risk.
• Support schemes for geothermal energy are limited, and the recent exclusion of
geothermal energy generation from incentive schemes offered for RES power plants
adds further difficulty.
• long time period occurring prior to the release of the FER2 ministerial decree has and is
slowing down activity and investment in geothermal projects.

Legislative Decree number 22, dated 11th February 2010, liberalised access to the geothermal
market, allowing new players to enter the geothermal sector and the opportunity to apply for
an exploration lease to a regional authority. Fourteen research permits were made in the
provinces of Grosseto, Siena and Pisa covering an area of around 1,000 km². These permits
have been awarded to ten different developers. In the Tuscany region alone, 80 Requests for
Research Permits were made in 2022.

Two geothermal power plants are under development: Monterotondo2 (5MW, planned year of
commissioning 2025) and Piancastagnaio6 (20MW, planned year of commissioning 2024).

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13.8 References
https://www.terna.it/it/sistema-elettrico/transparency-report/actual-generation

https://unmig.mase.gov.it/risorse-geotermiche/

Bruno Della Vedova, Ilaria Bottio, Maurizio Cei, Paolo Conti, Geoffrey Giudetti, Gianluca Gola,
Lorenzo Spadoni, Maurizio Vaccaro, Luca Xodo: Geothermal Energy Use, Country Update for
Italy. Proceedings European Geothermal Congress 2022 Berlin, Germany | 17-21 October
2022

Eleonora Bargiacchi, Paolo Conti, Adele Manzella, Maurizio Vaccaro, Paolo Cerutti, Gabriele
Cesari: Thermal Uses of Geothermal Energy, Country Update for Italy. Proceedings World
Geothermal Congress 2020, Reykjavik, Iceland, April 26 – May 2, 2020

EGEC geothermal market report 2022

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 14. Mexico
Luis C. Gutiérrez-Negrín1, Ismael Canchola-Félix2, and Georgina Izquierdo-Montalvo3
1Geocónsul, SA de CV, [email protected]
2Comisión Federal de Electricidad, Gerencia de Proyectos Geotermoeléctricos, [email protected]
3Instituto Nacional de Electricidad y Energías Limpias (INEEL), [email protected]

14.1 Introduction
In December 2022, the total installed capacity for electric power generation in Mexico was
87,131 MWe. Out of that, 64.0% of the installed capacity in the country comes from fossil fuels,
mainly natural gas and coal, and the remaining 36.0% from clean energy sources, composed of
hydroelectricity 14.5%, wind power 7.9%, solar (photovoltaic) 7.5%, efficient cogeneration 2.6%,
nuclear 1.8%, geothermal 1.1% and bioenergy 0.5% (SENER, 2023).

A little more than half (44,533 MWe) of the installed capacity is owned and operated by the
government utility CFE (Comisión Federal de Electricidad), including almost all (97%) of the
installed geothermal electricity generation capacity. The remaining power plants in operation
are owned and operated by private companies, except 921 MWe owned and operated by
PEMEX, the state-owned oil company, to supply part of its consumption requirements (SENER,
2023).

The installed geothermal electricity generation capacity in December 2022 is the same as
reported for 2021, with 1001.9 MWe. The same five geothermal fields mentioned in previous
reports were in operation: Cerro Prieto, state of Baja California (BC); Los Azufres, state of
Michoacán (Mich.); Los Humeros, state of Puebla (Pue.); Las Tres Vírgenes, state of Baja
California Sur (BCS); and Domo de San Pedro, state of Nayarit (Nay.). The running or operational
capacity was 959 MWe, the same reported in the 2021 report (Table 14.1). There is a sixth
Mexican field developed for geothermal power generation: Cerritos Colorados has several
exploration and production wells, drilled by CFE in the 1980s, and an estimated minimum
potential of 75 MWe. However, the development has been halted since 1989, due to local
opposition to the project.

Table 14.1: Geothermal energy statistics for the calendar year 2022.

Electricity Direct Use

Total Installed Capacity (MWe) 1001.9 Total Installed Capacity (MWth) 156.0

New Installed Capacity (MWe) 0 New Installed Capacity (MWth) 0

Total Running Capacity (MWe) 959.0 Total Heat Used (GWh/yr) 1,162.1

Contribution to National Capacity Total Installed Capacity Heat 0.13

(%) 1.1 Pumps (MW )
th

Total Generation (GWh) 4692.3 Total Net Heat Pump Use [GWh/yr] N/A

Contribution to National 1.4 Target (PJ/yr) Not set

Generation (%)

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(N/A = data not available)

The estimated potential from conventional hydrothermal resources with temperatures ≥150°C
is of the order of 2500 MWe (Gutiérrez-Negrín et al., 2023), based on an estimate adapted using
the methodology for estimating geothermal reserves and resources from the Australian
Geothermal Reporting Code. A more refined estimate was presented in the geothermal
roadmap published by Sener in 2017, which expects the commissioning of 750 MWe additional
by 2030, thereby reaching around 1670 MWe in that year (Sener, 2017, cited by Gutiérrez-Negrín
et al., 2023). This objective reflects the vision of the geothermal experts that participated in
defining the geothermal roadmap in 2017, which even so is barely one third of the
aforementioned potential of 2500 MWe. However, to reach that additional capacity by 2030, it
would be necessary to commission an average of 100 MWe annually in each of for the next
seven years.

Regarding the potential of hot-dry systems using EGS-ARS technologies for the medium-long
term, it is estimated there is about 47,000 MWe located at 3-7 km depth. This is the main
conclusion of a group of researchers coordinated by INEEL that assessed the EGS potential in
Mexico by following the protocol endorsed by the International Geothermal Association (IGA)
(Hernández-Ochoa et al., 2020).

“Clean energy sources” are defined legally as those sources producing little or no greenhouse
gas emissions to the atmosphere, and include geothermal energy and other renewable sources,
as well as nuclear, ‘green’ batteries, efficient cogeneration and other clean technologies. As
mentioned, clean energy generation in Mexico during 2022 was 31.2% of the total electric
generation, or around 0.7% more than 2021. This generation percentage falls just short of the
2022 target of 32% that aims to fulfil the National goal of 35% by 2024. The National goal was
established by the Energy Transition Law and the General Law of Climate Change (SENER,
2023), and is currently expected to be achieved.

Direct uses of geothermal heat (including for cooling purposes) remain under-developed in
Mexico. They are practically restricted to balneology (bathing and swimming for recreational or
therapeutic purposes) despite the wide occurrence of surficial geothermal manifestations
across the country. This use represents around 155.3 MWth, with ~0.8 MWth from other direct
uses (heating, drying, and Geothermal Heat Pumps–GHP), giving a total of 156.1 MWth. These
amounts are the same reported for the previous years (Table 14.1; Gutiérrez-Negrín et al., 2023).

In 2014-2019, the former Mexican Center for Innovation in Geothermal Energy (CeMIE-Geo)
conducted some demonstration projects to promote geothermal direct uses in Mexico (Romo-
Jones and Group CeMIEGeo, 2015). Installation of the first GHP unit in Mexico was the main
outcome from this initiative, which lead to 11 units being installed in four locations with a
combined installed capacity of 0.133 MWth (Table 14.1). Currently, a spin-off company from the
CeMIE-Geo project, is operating a fruit dehydrator using the residual steam of the Domo de San
Pedro power plant in Nayarit. This dehydrator has a 0.53 MWth capacity (Aviña, 2022, cited by
Gutiérrez-Negrín et al., 2023).

As mentioned in past reports, Mexico has a high potential for developing geothermal heat uses.
Based on surveys made by CFE in the eighties, Iglesias et al. (2015) estimated that there are
more than 1,600 locations with hot springs and other thermal manifestations, grouped into more
than 900 geothermal systems across 26 States of Mexico. The authors estimated that if only

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0.1% of these resources were used, it would represent more than 40,000 MWth of installed
capacity (Iglesias et al., 2015).

14.2 Changes to Policy Supporting Geothermal Development

There were no changes in policies for supporting geothermal developments in 2022, and so,
there is nothing new to report in this section. All the geothermal exploitation concessions and
exploration permits granted to CFE and to several private companies remain in force as far as
it is known. But no new applications for permits or concessions have been issued.

There are no new developments under the program for financing and risk-mitigation known as
PFTRG (Programa de Financiamiento y Transferencia de Riesgo en Geotermia, or the Program
for Geothermal Financing and Risk Transfer), launched by the Inter-American Development
Bank (IDB) and the Mexican development bank Nafin, and operated by the national institute
INEEL (Instituto Nacional de Electricidad y Energías Limpias).

It is known that CFE and other private companies are applying to explore new geothermal areas.

There is no update to report from the Geothermal Development Facility for Latin America (GDF-
Latam) which is currently undertaking a 7th round of calls for geothermal funding applications
(see https://gdflac.com/results/).

14.3 Geothermal Project Development

14.3.1 Projects Commissioned
No new geothermal projects were commissioned in 2022.

14.3.2 Projects Operational

There are five operational geothermal fields in the country, whose main features, mentioned in
previous reports, are as follows:

Cerro Prieto, BC. Located in north-western Mexico, near the USA border, the first two
geothermal power plants of 37.5 MWe each were commissioned in 1973. It is owned and
operated by CFE. The installed capacity is 570 MWe with four condensing flash units of
110 MWe each, one condensing, low-pressure unit of 30 MWe, and four 25 MWe
condensing flash units. The four oldest power plants, with a combined capacity of 150
MWe, were dismantled in 2011 and 2012. There are no available data for 2022, but in 2021
the field produced 24 million tons of steam, with 129 production and 28 injection wells in
operation. Unit 3 of Cerro Prieto IV (CP-IV), with 25 MWe of net capacity, generated 214
GWh, presenting the highest capacity factor of the field (97.7%). Unit 5 of CP-I, which is
the only low-pressure steam unit, produced 231 GWh with a capacity factor of 88.1%
despite its 39 years of operation. Unit 1 of CP-III (110 MWe) was out of operation for
maintenance for most of 2021. The gross electricity generation at Cerro Prieto was 2510.6
GWh during 2021, which represented almost 20% of the electricity generated in the
isolated electric grid of Baja California (Gutiérrez-Negrín et al., 2023).

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 Los Azufres, Mich. This field is part of the Mexican Volcanic Belt (MVB) province, in central
Mexico, at an average altitude of 2850 meters above the sea level (masl). The first power
units were commissioned in 1982. The field and the power plants are owned and operated
by CFE with an installed capacity of 275.1 MWe, composed of seven condensing flash
units (1 x 53.4 MWe;1 x 50 MWe; 3 x 26.6 MWe; 1 x 26.8 MWe; 1 x 27.2 MWe), seven 5
MWe back-pressure units, and two 1.45 MWe binary cycle unit. Three out of the seven
back-pressure and the two binary cycle units are currently out of operation, and thus the
running capacity is 257.2 MWe. In 2020 there were 49 production wells in operation,
which produced 16.4 million tons of steam. Unit 18, the most recent unit in the field with
27.2 MWe of gross capacity, produced 219 GWh during 2021, operating at the best
capacity factor in Los Azufres (91.9%). Unit 17, of 53.4 MWe capacity, was out of operation
for most of the year. The gross electricity generation from Los Azufres was 1370.6 GWh in
2021 (Gutiérrez-Negrín et al., 2023). There are no data for 2022.

Los Humeros, Pue. This field is in the central-eastern part of Mexico, also part of the MVB,
on its easternmost tip. The oldest units were commissioned in 1990-1991. CFE is the owner
and operator of the field, which has an installed capacity of 120.7 MWe. It comprises three
condensing, flash units, two of 26.8 MWe each, one 27.1 MWe unit, and eight 5 MWe back-
pressure units. The running or operational capacity is 95.7 MWe because five of the back-
pressure units are out of operation. In 2020 there were 29 production wells in operation,
producing around 5.8 million tons of steam. The electricity generation in 2021 was 479.7
GWh. Unit 10, 26.8 MWe gross capacity, generated 184 GWh in 2021, at an average
capacity factor of 78.4%, the best of the field (Gutiérrez-Negrín et al., 2023). There are no
data for 2022.

Las Tres Vírgenes, BCS. This field is in the middle of the Baja California Peninsula and is
operated and owned by CFE. It has two condensing, flash type power units each of 5
MWe installed, and operating at 10 MWe. Both power units started to operate in 2002.
During 2020 CFE operated three production wells in this field, producing around 0.6
million tons of steam. The electricity generation during 2021 was 43.1 GWh (CFE, 2022,
personal communication) at an annual average capacity factor of 49.2%. This capacity
factor is the lowest of all the fields operating in Mexico, but it is worth noting that Las Tres
Vírgenes plays a significant role, as it provides around 25% of the electrical demand to
Mulegé, a small electrical network isolated from the national grid. There are no data for
2022.

Domo de San Pedro, Nay. It is the most recently developed field in Mexico, located in
central-western Mexico, inside the MVB. It was commissioned in 2016 and is owned and
operated by the private company Grupo Dragón. It is a condensing flash power plant with
an installed name plate capacity of 26.1 MWe. Originally two 5 MWe back-pressure units
were installed in 2015, for reservoir testing purposes, but these were taken out of
operation in April 2016 and were dismantled when the new unit was commissioned. The
total electrical output of the field in 2021 was 107.6 GWh (Gutiérrez-Negrín et al., 2023).
There are no data for 2022.

14.4 Research Highlights

There is no current information about the extension of activities granted to the former CeMIE-
Geo project by the federal council on science and technology. CeMIE-Geo have carried on with

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five projects, additional to the original projects that were finished in 2019. One of these was the
operation of the system of specialized laboratories, in charge of the Ensenada centre of
research and high education (CICESE). The other four projects were related to geothermal direct
use and were executed by the Engineering Institute of the national university (UNAM), including
establishing a desalination plant (40 m3/day) in Baja California using low temperature resources,
designing and construction of a geothermal heat pump, designing and development of a small
(10 kW) binary-cycle plant and scaling up to 100 kW, and the scaling of an ORC turbine for using
with super-critical CO2. We have limited information but assume all of these projects were
completed in 2022, as planned.

As far as it is known, there were no new geothermal energy research projects established in
2022.

14.5 Other National Activities

14.5.1 Geothermal Education
During 2022 the CeMIE-Geo continued to offer an online course, Introduction to Geothermal
Energy, which has been followed by almost 22,000 participants
(https://es.coursera.org/learn/geotermia). The 2023 course will be held in July.

14.5.2 Conferences
The annual congress of the Mexican Geothermal Association (AGM) was held in April 2022,
after a couple of postponements in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was the
28th annual congress and was held on site in the city of Morelia on 28 and 29 April 2022. There
were two keynote presentations and 32 technical papers presented orally, plus eight poster
presentations. The congress was inaugurated by the head of the CFE geothermal division, the
general director of the INEEL, and the director of geothermal energy of the Energy Ministry. The
congress drew together about 300 participants.

14.5.3 Publications
The CeMIE-Geo’s Digital Collection remains publicly available, including 114 papers in peer-
reviewed international journals, 118 theses, and 45 conference posters. It contains 1,727 papers
published about Mexican geothermal fields since 1970. These papers were compiled from the
GRC Geothermal Library, the IGA’s Geothermal Paper Database, DOE Scientific and Technical
Information repository, SCOPUS, and WEB of Science:
(https://cemiegeo.org/index.php/coleccion-digital).

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14.6 Future Activity
During the last quarter of 2022, the IGA launched an international bid to select the venue for
the 2026 World Geothermal Congress (WGC). The new president of the AGM and the general
director of INEEL sent a proposal for Mexico to host that congress in Cancun. The IGA selection
committee received 12 different proposals, out of which three finalists were chosen: Calgary
(Canada), Cancun (Mexico) and Rome (Italy). The IGA selection committee finally decided
Calgary as the venue of the WGC2026.

It is expected that the CFE will continue with the development of 13 granted geothermal zones,
including drilling of some exploration wells. It is also expected that at least some private
companies will resume exploration and development activities in the geothermal zones that
have been granted to them.

14.7 References
Gutiérrez-Negrín, L.C.A., Izquierdo-Montalvo, G., and Canchola-Félix, I., 2023. Situation of
Geothermal Energy in Mexico: Country Update. Proceedings of the World Geothermal Congress
2023, Beijing, China, September 15 – 17, 2023. In press.

Hernández-Ochoa, A.F., Iglesias, E.R., López-Blanco, S., Martínez Estrella, J.I., Paredes
Soberanes, A., Torres Rodríguez, R.J., Reyes Picasso, N., González Reyes, I., Lira Argüello, R.,
Prol Ledesma, R.M., Espinoza Ojeda, O.M. (2020). Assessment of the Technical Potential for
Enhanced Geothermal Systems in Mexico, Proceedings of the World Geothermal Congress
2020+1, Reykjavik, Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland, March-October 2021.

Iglesias, E.R, Torres, R.J., Martínez-Estrella, I., and Reyes-Picasso, N. (2015). Summary of the 2014
Assessment of Medium- to Low-Temperature Mexican Geothermal Resources, Proceedings of
the World Geothermal Congress 2015, Melbourne, Australia, 19-25 April 2015.

SENER (Ministry of Energy), 2023. Programa de Desarrollo Eléctrico del Sistema Eléctrico
Nacional (PRODESEN) 2023-2037. In Spanish.

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 15. New Zealand (2021)
Chris Bromley
GNS Science, Wairakei Research Centre, Private Bag 2000, Taupō, New Zealand.
[email protected]

15.1 Introduction and Summary

In summary, during 2021, most of New Zealand’s geothermal generation facilities have been
running at near maximum capacity, and geothermal generation has contributed ~18.1 % to the
national electricity supply, amounting to 7820 GWh (similar to 2020).

Optimization of the operation of existing geothermal power-plants has continued. Adjustments

in well operation or steam field inter-connections to accommodate changes in production well
discharge enthalpy, along with reinjection strategy changes, have improved utilization efficiency
and environmental sustainability.

Construction of the staged expansion of the Tauhara II project near Taupō township continued
through 2021. Site preparation, drilling and well testing are close to completion. Using existing
resource consents (up to 250 MWe), the first stage (a 168 MWe single shaft, triple flash, turbine)
is now planned to be commissioned by late 2023 (Contact Energy, 2022).

The Top Energy Ngawha geothermal project expansion (OEC4) of 31.5 MWe has successfully
operated for its first year through 2021, more than doubling the previous output of 25 MWe from
the TOP facilities.

With respect to Direct Use of geothermal energy, the Bay of Plenty Region and the TaupōDistrict
continue to promote geothermal business development. Implementation continues of a nation-
wide geothermal direct use strategy initiative through the New Zealand Geothermal Association
(NZGA, 2022). Operators and investors are working on commercial projects that would benefit
economically from a supply of geothermal fluids. The development of an Innovation hub is under
consideration in the industrial area east of Taupō.

The following table provides information on geothermal energy use for New Zealand during 2021.
Electricity generation information is from MBIE, a government ministry (MBIE, 2022), while the
direct use information is modified from the New Zealand Country update report to the
WGC2020+1 (Daysh et al 2021) and direct use report (Climo et al 2021).

Electricity Direct Use

Total Installed Capacity* (MWe) 1039 Total Installed Capacity (MWth) 500 **
New Installed Capacity (MWe) 0 New Installed Capacity (MWth) 0
Total Net Running Capacity (MWe) 1039 Total Heat Used (PJ/yr) 7.3
Total Installed Capacity Heat Pumps
Contribution to National Capacity (%) 11% (MWth) ~20

Total Generation (GWh) 7820 Total Net Heat Pump Use [PJ/yr] 0.4
Contribution to National Generation Target 2017 – 2030 (PJ/yr Primary
18.1% +7.5
(%) Energy)

(N/A = data not available), (*Here instralled capacity excludes decommissioned turbines), (** indicates estimated values) 126
 Estimated Country Potential (MWth or
Target (% national generation) 20-25% N/A
PJ/yr or GWh/yr)
Estimated Country Potential (MWe) 4000 reduced direct use July (Kawerau) -2.4

In 2021, the weighted average CO2 (equiv.) emissions factor from New Zealand Geothermal
power stations was approximately 64 g/KWh (lower than 2020, NZGA 2022, Figure 15.1). The
emission factors in New Zealand are declining because of degassing of the reservoirs (typically
by 50% per decade) and the selective utilization of wells with lower gas contents. The weighted
average emissions factor is also affected by changes in fluid production from reservoirs with
higher gas content (such as a reduction at Ohaaki and an increase at Ngawha).

15.2 Changes to Policy Supporting Geothermal Development

The New Zealand Climate Change Commission (CCC) issued its report in January 2021, which
recommended accelerated conversion of transport from fossil fuels to electricity, supporting
demand for renewable electricity generation growth (including geothermal).

Although there are no government subsidies for renewable energy to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions in New Zealand, a strategic (albeit challenging) target of 100% renewable electricity
generation by 2035, in a normal hydro-generation year, has been announced. This is in addition
to the previous target of 90% renewable by 2025.

The New Zealand government is also exploring the establishment of targets for renewable heat
and electrified transport in addition to its targets for renewable electricity. The Energy Efficiency
and Conservation Authority in conjunction with MBIE continues to develop a strategy on Process
Heat in New Zealand. The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority has called for projects
to be funded through the Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry (GIDI) initiative and
concluded two award rounds in 2021 (April and September).

The New Zealand Geothermal Association (NZGA, 2022) prepared geothermal submissions for
Government policy documents during 2021 on the following topics: Climate Change Commission
Advice, Transpower’s Transmission Grid Plans, Planned Resource Management Act (RMA)
replacement with Natural & Built Environments Act, MfE Emissions reduction plan, and Electricity
Authority consultation on security and resilience.

The Geoheat Action Group prepared and released their third action plan
(https://www.nzgeothermal.org.nz/news--events/), focusing on promoting tangible, industrial-
scale, projects in developed fields. This consortium of service providers, economic development
agencies, Iwi (Maori trusts), and research organisations collaboratively execute the activities that
are the focus of the plan for 2022 and 2023 (NZGA, 2022).

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15.3 Geothermal Project Development
15.3.1 Projects Commissioned (and other changes)
There were no new geothermal electricity projects commissioned in 2021.

Halcyon Power (Tuaropaki Trust & Obayashi Corp JV) completed a geothermal powered, green
hydrogen project at Mokai on the 9th of December 2021. This consists of a pilot plant with a design
capacity of 250 Nm3 per hour. It uses up to 1.25 MW of power from the Mokai power station and
is expected to produce 180 tonnes of H2 per year for the New Zealand market (mostly for
transport). The plant will optimize its operation during periods of low electricity demand and low
wholesale power prices.

Mercury Energy incrementally increased its operating capacity at Rotokawa by about 5 MWe
through an optimisation project that reconfigured the steam-field to better balance the enthalpy
and pressure requirements of the existing Rotokawa binary plant and the Nga Awa Purua triple
flash steam turbine.

Eastland Energy purchased the TOPP1 binary power plant (Kawerau) from NTGA for NZ$83M
(about NZ$4M per MW) and Contact Energy acquired Western Energy Services.

15.3.2 Projects Operational (at the end of the reporting year)

During 2021, normal operation of the existing geothermal power plants continued at near
maximum generation capacity, specifically at Wairakei-Tauhara, Mokai, Rotokawa, Ngatamariki,
Kawerau and Ngawha. Ohaaki operates at reduced capacity owing to constraints on fluid supply,
as described in previous reports. New Zealand geothermal power-plant availability factors are
typically 85-99%. These vary depending on individual turbine performance (including
refurbishments that facilitate operation at greater than nameplate capacity), seasonal atmospheric
conditions (e.g. air-cooling efficiency), and reservoir performance (especially changes in fluid
enthalpy and operating pressure).

CO2 emissions from geothermal power plants continue to be monitored; a carbon emissions cost
is effectively applied to all large industrial emitters through the Government’s Emissions Trading
Scheme (NZETS). The New Zealand spot carbon price has risen significantly from about
NZ$25/tonne CO2e during 2019 to NZ$70/tonne in December 2021. This has provided
geothermal power plant operators with an added incentive to further reduce gas emissions
through selective well operation strategies or trial NCG reinjection schemes. Figure 15.1 illustrates
the trends over time for the CO2 total emissions and emissions factor (weighted average of kg
CO2e/MWh) compared to geothermal generation in GW per quarter (3 months). The figure
illustrates the downwards trend (currently about -6% per annum) in emissions factor as developed
geothermal reservoirs deplete in gas content (McLean and Richardson 2021, NZGA 2022). By
comparison, the emissions factor for industrial direct use of geothermal heat varies between

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about 7 kg- CO2/GJ at Kawerau for paper processing and about 3.5 kg-CO2/GJ at Tauhara for
timber drying.

Figure 15.1 Historical trends in geothermal CO2 emissions and weighted average emissions factor (kg
CO2e/MWh) compared with New Zealand geothermal generation. Data from MBIE (2022), McLean et al (2021), NZGA
(2022).

Simulation modelling of Ohaaki CO2 gas emissions (combined natural and power station
venting) by O’Sullivan et al (2021) has demonstrated that production-induced depletion of
reservoir gases that occurs during a typical production cycle (~100 years), when following by a
period of natural recovery (~200 years), results in a net zero emission effect from the power
project when considered over the long term (~300 years). That is, the increased anthropogenic
power station emissions are offset by reduced natural emissions. Despite this, the short-term
anthropogenic increase remains important with regards to emission reduction targets.

The Geo40 project (https://geo40.com/), a collaborative development at Ohaaki, involving

Contact Energy, and Ngati Tahu Trust, has seen commissioning and operation of a commercial
silica removal plant producing colloidal silica ‘sol’ for the international market. The plant (The
Northern Plant) processes 6700 tonnes/day of separated geothermal water, prior to reinjection,
and recovers 5000 tonnes/year of colloidal silica. Geo40 has now developed a small-scale
process to extract lithium from the silica depleted fluid. At laboratory scale, samples of geothermal
brine types from across Europe, the Americas and New Zealand have been successfully
processed. A pilot plant for lithium extraction is scheduled for 2022.

The newly completed 31.5 MWe expansion (OEC4) of the Ngawha project is operational.

Taheke drilling and well testing commenced for a planned 25 MWe development. Eastland
Generation (85%) and local iwi partners (Taheke 8C, 15%) received a NZ$11.9 M New Zealand
Government funding contribution for the 1st stage.

Large industrial direct use applications (paper manufacture, timber drying, space heating,
aquaculture, milk processing and horticulture) at Kawerau, Tauhara, Ohaaki, Wairakei and Mokai,
has continued. Industrial direct heat uses in Kawerau include CHH wood products, Essity (Asaleo
Care) (tissue paper), Oji Fibre Solutions (pulp and paper), Sequal Lumber (timber drying) and the

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Waiū milk drying factory (about 20 MWth). Tissue maker Essity announced final investment
approval for its Kawerau geothermal steam-drying project. ECCA contributed a $1.65 million GIDI
fund grant to this NZ $16 million investment that will reduce carbon emissions by 136,610 tonnes
over the project life. After 66 years of operation, the Norske Skog Tasman mill closed down in
June 2021, but the demand for renewable geothermal energy to process pulp for toilet and
tissue paper has expanded. Smaller-scale geothermal direct-use applications for bathing,
building heat, tourist facilities, etc, also continued at a similar level to previous years.

15.4 Research Highlights

Geothermal the Next Generation (GNG) has been funded from 2019 to 2024 at about NZ$2M/yr
by the New Zealand Government (MBIE) to investigate the future development potential of New
Zealand’s supercritical geothermal resources, mostly located within the deep roots of
conventional systems. This research involves laboratory geochemical experiments, geophysical
surveys, simulation modelling and community engagement. The research will also investigate
technologies to capture and reinject gas emissions and includes international collaboration and
advisors from IEA-Geothermal member countries (Switzerland, Iceland and USA).

Core geothermal research, funded by the government at about NZ$2.5M / yr continued at GNS
Science under the title “New Zealand’s Geothermal Future”. Topics are:
• Shallow resources and direct use,
• TVZ - Structure and Dynamics;
• TVZ – Source models; and
• Reservoir Chemistry.

The “Endeavour Fund” has supported research into “Empowering Geothermal Energy; Increased
Utilisation of Geothermal Energy Through New Integrated Geoscience Methods”. This project
addresses the geoscientific uncertainties of accessing underground resources. The project is
funded at NZ$1.3M / yr until 2022.

A “Marsden” research project (2019-2021) addressing the topic of improved understanding of

natural CO2 flux passing through Taupō Volcanic Zone geothermal systems concluded in 2021.

Industry-funded research activities include applied research projects through collaboration

between government-funded, company-funded and university graduate research programs.
These projects focus on opportunities and practical problem-solving tasks associated with
diverse topics such as: scaling, tracer performance, mineral extraction, subsidence, reservoir
simulation and injection technology.

MB Century and Western Energy Services continue to improve and develop practical technology
for servicing the geothermal industry, both locally and internationally.

Waikato and Bay-of-Plenty Regional Council science staff continue to investigate methods and
commission research to improve environmental monitoring of surface geothermal features
(ranking for significance, drone infrared surveys, ecological change assessments and heat-loss
monitoring).

The potential for utilisation of deep hot brines in abandoned oil wells within the Taranaki province
(west coast North Island) remains under investigation.

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Capture and reinjection of CO2 gas emissions and modelling long-term net emissions was
initiated in several projects by Mercury Energy, Contact Energy and Ngawha Generation.
Operators and researchers at GNS Science and Universities are collaborating on this topic. While
details are not yet available, trials will continue in 2022 with preliminary results appearing
encouraging.

15.5 Other National Activities

15.5.1 Geothermal Education
The University of Auckland PGCert geothermal diploma course had just 6 students enrolled in
2021 because of COVID19 travel restrictions for overseas students. In normal years government-
sponsored scholarships (up to 25 students) target the training needs of countries such as
Indonesia, Philippines, Mexico, Kenya and the Caribbean. The Geothermal Institute also
supervises research, involving Masters or PhD students, on a variety of topics including reservoir
modelling, subsidence, induced seismicity, 2-phase flow, etc.

The University of Canterbury continues to run a geothermal graduate program (Geothermal

Energy Systems Engineering Group within Department of Mechanical Engineering, and
Geothermal Resource Research Group within Department of Geological Sciences).

Geoscience and engineering professional training courses normally run by GNS Science and
universities in several geothermal nations were also suspended in 2021 due to COVID19.

Using largely online services through 2021, the NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT)
working with NZTE (Trade and Enterprise) funded contributions and specialist advice to off-shore
geothermal projects in Africa (NZAfrica Geothermal Facility, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Tanzania),
Indonesia (geothermal training and technical assistance), and Caribbean (advice for Grenada, St
Lucia, and Dominica).

15.5.2 Conferences
The 43rd New Zealand Geothermal Workshop was organised by the Geothermal Institute for
November 2021 but was postponed due to Covid and was then held virtually on the 2nd and 3rd
February 2022 https://www.geothermalworkshop.co.nz/2021-workshop/ . Papers can be
accessed through the IGA website.

A one-day seminar was organised by the New Zealand Geothermal Association (NZGA website)
in Taupō on the 29th July, 2021 [150 participants]. It was themed “Geothermal in a low carbon
future”. Topics addressed were: green-house gases, climate change policies, finance,
supercritical research, and wood processing. It formed part of Taupō’s “Geothermal Week”
involving the wider community with field trips and public presentations.

NZ authors contributed a substantial volume of material to the proceedings of the World

Geothermal Congress published in 2021. Presentations were made as part of the virtual events
(March to July) and New Zealand had a booth at the congress on site event in Reykjavik, Iceland
in October 2021.

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15.6 Publications
Publications documenting recent geothermal research and operational history from New Zealand
can be found in the following conference proceedings and journals for 2021: World Geothermal
Congress (2020+1), 43rd NZ Geothermal Workshop, 46th Stanford Geothermal Workshop,
Geothermal Rising 2021 annual meeting, and Geothermics journal.

15.7 Useful Websites

Contact Energy: https://contact.co.nz/aboutus/our-story/our-projects/tauhara

Geoheat: http://www.nzgeoheat.nz

Geothermal Institute: http://www.geothermal.auckland.ac.nz/

Geo40 Limited: http://geo40.com/about

GNS: http://data.gns.cri.nz/geothermal

GNS: https://www.geothermalnextgeneration.com/knowledge/geothermal-co2-reinjection/

IPGT: https://ipgtgeothermal.org/about-us/

MBIE: https://www.mbie.govt.nz/building-and-energy/energy-and-natural-resources/energy-
statistics-and-modelling/energy-publications-and-technical-papers/new-zealand-energy-
quarterly/

NZGA: https://nzgeothermal.org.nz/

15.8 Future Activity

Figure 15.2 shows an updated historical (to year-end 2021) and projected growth (initially
predicted from 2015 out to 2025) in geothermal electricity generation for New Zealand, relative
to other generation options. Combined renewable power generation increased in 2021 from
80.8% to 82% due to normal hydrological conditions being experienced through the year
increasing hydro generation relative to 2020. The forward projection assumes a demand growth
rate of 0.5% per year. Although recent demand growth has been relatively static, electric vehicle
uptake is expected to contribute to renewable electricity demand growth, (NZGA, 2022), perhaps
by up to 1% per year over the next 10 years (assuming 50% of the vehicle fleet replaced is electric).
Solar power is expected to gradually grow above 0.5% of total generation, and bio-gas/wood
waste generation should grow to about 1.5 %. If new or expanded geothermal (rising to about
24%) and wind projects (rising to 8%) eventuate, as predicted, then coal-fired generation is
expected to reduce to near zero, and gas-fired generation to about 9%, resulting in more than
90% renewable electricity generation (in a normal hydrological year) which is a key 2025 (year-
end) strategy target set by the government. This assumes the NZ Aluminium Smelter at Bluff
(consuming ~12% of total generation) continues to operate beyond its scheduled closing in 2024.
Official government predictions (MBIE, 2022) are similar, but with coal-fired generation tapering
off and ceasing in 2024. Uncertainty in long term gas supply, and commitment to turbine
maintenance, affects uncertainties in these predictions.

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Figure 15.2 Updated plot of actual (>2010) and projected growth (to 2025, since 2015) in generation fuel-types in
New Zealand. The geothermal share of 18.1% in 2021 is projected to grow to as much as 24% by 2025, if investment
conditions remain favourable. Historical data source: MBIE (2022).

Kawerau: NTGA (Kawerau) has consents in place for an expansion of fluid take and reinjection
(45 kt/day) for industrial direct heat and power. Current demand for steam from NTGA includes
the Waiū facility for milk drying, Sequal Lumber timber drying kilns, and Oji-fibre clean steam plant
to process some of their pulp production.

Ngawha: Following commissioning of the 31.5 MWe power plant in 2020, a proposed 2nd-stage
expansion is being considered. This could ultimately mean the Northland Region will become
self-sufficient in electricity.

Ngatamariki: Station operators (RJV and Mercury Energy) have commenced planning for an
additional (5th) ORC unit of ~25 MWe capacity, with a consent application to allow for increased
fluid take and reinjection planned to be lodged in 2022.

Taheke: Plans to develop a 25 MWe power plant at Taheke are progressing and await testing of
a well drilled in 2021.

Tauhara: As noted above, the Tauhara II 250 MW project has commenced through incremental
stages of expansion. Well testing and drilling (production and reinjection wells), and most of the
civil works for the first 168 MWe stage were completed in 2021 and commissioning of the triple
flash turbine is anticipated in late 2023. Proposed additional stages of this project are anticipated
to add another ~80 MWe between 2025 and 2035.

Wairakei: Wairakei operational consents expire in 2026, and preparations continue for consent
renewal application. A submission to the Waikato Regional Council and application hearing is
planned for 2022. This involves the planned shutdown of the original Wairakei power stations (A
and B) and expansion of the Te Mihi power station by 82 MWe to utilize a total of 250
kTonnes/day of geothermal fluid.

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Ohaaki: During 2021 the ‘Rohe Hot-house’ scheme was granted resource consents for an 18 Ha
glass-house adjacent to the Ohaaki power station. This greenhouse is expected to use CO2 from
the Ohaaki Power Plant to promote plant growth.

Deep drilling of 7 geothermal wells in 2021 included 3 production and 3 reinjection wells at
Tauhara for the Tauhara II expansion. The MB Century Rig 32 was used for these wells. One
deep well was also drilled at Taheke (north of Lake Rotoiti) by Tiger Drilling for Eastland Energy.
Shallow drilling (<1 km deep) of 10 production wells and 1 reinjection well for direct use purposes
were completed in Rotorua, Tauranga and Kawerau.

Mercury Energy, Contact Energy, and Ngawha have all initiated pilot schemes to examine the
feasibility of injecting non-condensing gasses (NCG), that is, CO2, CH4 and H2S, from binary plants.
These experiments are expected to continue into 2022.

15.9 References
Climo M, Milicich SD, Doorman P, Alcaraz SA, Seward A, Carey B (2020+1) Geothermal Use
Inventory Update – Data, Visualisation and Information. Proceedings World Geothermal Congress
2020+1 Reykjavik, Iceland.

Daysh S, Carey B, Doorman P, Luketina K, White B, Zarrouk S (2020+1) New Zealand Country
Update. Proceedings World Geothermal Congress 2020+1, Reykjavik, Iceland.

McLean K, Richardson, M. (2021) Geothermal Greenhouse Gas Emissions in New Zealand in

2020: Lifecycle and Operational Emissions. Proceedings 43rd New Zealand Geothermal
Workshop, University of Auckland.

Montague Ted, Craig Stephenson, Katie McLean, Alistair Brooks, Jane Brotheridge, Ben Pezaro,
Mike Allen, and Sadiq Zarrouk (in press, June 2022) ‘NZ Geothermal Update 2021’, Annual NZGA
NZ Geothermal Review. New Zealand Geothermal Association newsletter July 2022 (NZGA).
https://nzgeothermal.org.nz/downloads

O’Sullivan M, Gravall M, Popineau J, O’Sullivan J, Mannington W, McDowell J (2021). Carbon

dioxide emissions from geothermal power plants. Renewable Energy 175 (2021) 990-1000.

Acknowledgement: Some of the details in this report have been gleaned from preliminary
access to a draft report prepared for the NZGA (Montague et al , in press, June 2022), for
which the author is very grateful.

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 16. Norway
Jiri Muller
Institute for Energy Technology, P.O. Box 40, 2027 Kjeller, Norway.
[email protected]

16.1 Introduction
Geothermal energy use in Norway is dominated by the relatively widespread deployment of
geothermal heat pumps. There is no electricity production from geothermal resources, and
there are no deep geothermal energy installations in operation. As the third-largest exporter
of energy in the world and with an electricity supply almost totally dominated by hydropower.
Norway has a large share of renewable energy in both its total primary energy supply and in
its electricity supply.

Hydropower accounts for around 95% of the total installed power capacity with a large
reservoir storage capacity of 85 TWh. In Norway about 80 % of the heating demands are
covered by direct electricity or heat pumps and so, the energy use in buildings has largely
been decarbonized. The transport sector is being gradually decarbonizing. Today 45% of new
cars sold are electrical. Ferries and boats are also being converting to electrical driven vessels
(battery or hydrogen driven). Deployment of wind energy, especially offshore wind is
increasing.

Although energy use per capita is close to the average for European countries, the electricity
consumption ratio is very high (23 MWh per capita), second only to Iceland.

There is a strong lobby from academic institutions (universities / research institutes) and
industry to promote geothermal energy (including deep geothermal) to politicians and the
public in general. The umbrella organisation is the “Norwegian Centre for Geothermal Energy
Research” (CGER) established in 2009. Membership of CGER has been steady since 2016 with
partners: NORCE, IFE, NORSAR, SINTEF, Equinor, UiB, UiS, Huisman, Well ID, GTML,
Greenstat, GCE Node, Three60 Energy, and Geothermal Energy Nordic.

Increasing the use of geothermal energy in Norway is aligned with the country´s energy policy
of increasing the use of renewable energy resources. Additionally, the Norwegian industrial
and academic expertise in offshore technologies should be applicable in an emerging
geothermal industry with an emphasis on deep drilling, well technology, reservoir exploration,
reservoir management, including corrosion and scaling mitigation, and tracer technology.

To date virtually all geothermal installations in Norway utilise geothermal heat pumps (GHP),
though extraction of heat from deep wells has been successfully demonstrated in several pilot
and demonstration projects. This technology will in future play a more significant role in the
Norwegian geothermal sector.

The majority of the GHPs are vertical closed-loop systems extracting energy (heat and cold)
from crystalline rocks through borehole heat exchangers (BHE). The first known GHP system
was installed in 1978. Today there are more than 60,000 GHP installations.

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Statistics from the Norwegian Heat Pump Association (NOVAP) identifies a peak of 3979 GHP
installations in 2018 (Figure 16.1). The high sales figures in 2018 and 2019 (Figure 16.1) are due
to the prohibition on utilising fossil oil for heating buildings which came into force in 2020.

Figure 16.1: Geothermal Heat pump sales statistics for Norway from 1997 to 2021. Source: Norwegian
Heat Pump Association (NOVAP)

NOVAPs statistics cover approximately 90% of the Norwegian heat pump market. NOVAP has
estimated that there are about 60,000 brine-to-water units sold in Norway in the period 1996-
2021.

The majority of the GHP systems in Norway are vertical closed loop systems extracting heat
and/or cold from crystalline rocks through borehole heat exchangers (BHE).

A typical Norwegian GHP is based on one or more boreholes drilled to between 50 and 300
meters. A trend towards deeper boreholes has been observed, partly due to reduced drilling
costs for deeper boreholes. A Norwegian GHP system usually uses a 115 mm diameter
borehole with a single 40 mm U tube installed. Some BHEs use alternative collectors, such as
coaxial arrangements or collectors with a rougher surface which produce turbulent flow at
lower flow rates. The Norwegian drilling industry has historically been dominated by
Norwegian companies, but in recent years some companies from Finland and Sweden have
started servicing the Norwegian market.

NOVAP collects statistics on heat pump systems in Norway from the leading suppliers in the
0-20kW range. In the over 20kW size, there are a few suppliers that do not provide sales data.
NOVAP is seeking to collect this data and will include it in future reports when it becomes
available. The data from NOVAP is for all types of liquid-to-water heat pumps including
systems that source energy from rock, the sea, ground (subsoil), water, etc. However, by far

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the dominant source is heat from rocks. Summary data from NOVAP on liquid-to-water
systems is displayed in Table 16.1. These data are based on modelling and data analysis
performed by NVE (Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate). NVEs model
includes only the data provided by NOVAP which is about 90% of all heat pumps sold in
Norway. In particular it does not include large geothermal heat pump installations.

Table 16.1: Geothermal energy use for the calendar year 2020

Electricity Direct Use

Total Installed Capacity (MWe) 0 Total Installed Capacity (MWth) 1 862

New Installed Capacity (MWe) 0 New Installed Capacity (MWth) N/A

Total Running Capacity (MWe) 0 Total Heat Used (PJ/yr)] 21.240

Contribution to National Capacity 0 Total Installed Capacity Heat 1 862

(%) Pumps (MWth)

Total Generation (GWh) 0 Total Net Heat Pump Use [GWh/yr] 5 900

Contribution to National
Generation (%) 0 Target (PJ/yr) N/A

(N/A = data not available)

It should be emphasized that data in Table 16.1 includes only liquid-to-water heat pump
systems which are considered truly geothermal. The estimated number of these installations is
about 60,000. However, Norwegian buildings are primarily heated by less efficient (but
cheaper) air-to-air systems and by air-to-water systems. It was estimated in 2020 that these
installations number 954,144 and 41,741 respectively, with a corresponding heat production of
10TWh/yr and 1.4 TWh/yr and installed capacities of 5,222 MWth and 531 MWth. NOVAP
identifies the SPF for both systems to be 2.5, while the SPF value is 3.4 for liquid-to-water
systems in industrial / commercial buildings and 3.0 for residential houses. The annual
ambient heat from liquid-to-water heat pump systems is estimated to be 4 TWh. The data for
the 2022 year is expected to be of the same magnitude as the 2020 data. NOVAP in
collaboration with its partners are expected to update these numbers soon.

16.2 Direct Use of Geothermal Energy

In 2018 a geothermal de-icing system was installed at Oslo airport, Gardermoen. The heat is
extracted directly from two 1500 m deep BHEs without a heat pump. The BHEs is equipped
with specially designed coaxial collectors. More projects of this type are under development.

There have been investigations into a geothermal based district heating system, but so far, no
geothermal district heating schemes have been established.

Offshore electrification of oil and gas platforms is under discussion as a way to reduce the
greenhouse gas emissions from this sector. Reusing abandoned hydrocarbon wells for
geothermal energy production is being considered as an alternative for partially electrifying
the offshore industry. The geothermal alternative competes with platform electrification via
offshore wind power or direct cables from onshore Norway.

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16.3 Changes to Policy Supporting Geothermal Development
Due to its cold climate, Norway has a strong need for airtight and well insulated buildings. The
current structure of the energy performance requirements were introduced in 2007 (Statens
Bygningstekniske Etat 2007). The requirements have been progressively tightened and the
latest changes in 2016 placed energy performance requirements at passive house levels (TEK
2017). In 2016, the parliament also tasked the government to reach an absolute savings target
of 10 TWh in existing buildings by 2030. The government also prohibited fossil fuel heating
systems in new buildings in 2016 and banned fossil fuel use in all space heating applications
from 2020.

The Energi21 strategy is the Norwegian national strategy for research, development,
demonstration, and commercialisation of new, climate-friendly energy technology. The fourth
Energi21 strategy was launched in 2018. Development of integrated digitalised energy
systems is an overall priority area in the new strategy.

Energi21 was established by the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy in 2008.The present
strategy is the fifth and revises the previous strategy drawn up in 2018. The energy sector has
changed significantly in the last four years with technological and market development
increasingly focusing on energy transition and industrialisation. A consequence of this is an
increased need for interaction between energy carriers and societal sectors.

Geothermal energy is one of the energy sectors included in the Energi21 strategy.

16.4 Geothermal Project Development

16.4.1 Research Projects Underway
The following bulleted list identifies current research activities
(Further details on these projects with updated information can be accessed from the
www.cger.no website)

• Improving the energy efficiency of geothermal energy utilisation by adjusting the user
characteristics, NORCE, EEA, 2020-2023
• Digitalisation of multi-reservoir geothermal systems for optimal control of heat production,
storage and peak-load management, RUDEN AS, Innovasjonsprosjekt, 2020-2023
• Simulation of governing processes in superheated and supercritical geothermal systems:
mathematical models, numerical methods and field data, UiB, Kompetanse - og
samarbedsprosjekt, 2020-2024
• DeepScale - Deep geothermal flow assurance; cost-efficient scale handling and heat fluid
robustness. SINTEF, KPN, 2019-2022
• Low cost drill bit body material for geothermal applications. Lyng Drilling IPN 2018-2021
• Novel concept for energy efficient hard rock drilling towards cost-effective geothermal
energy harvesting. SINTEF, other support, 2018-2021
• Modeling of high temperature, high pressure geothermal energy production system.
NTNU KPN 2017-2021
• Cost-effective and Reliable Engineered Casing Systems for super-HT Geothermal Wells.
Equinor, IPN, 2017-2021

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 • Thermo-mechanical subsurface energy storage (TheMSES) UiB FP 2016-2021
• Technology platform for research-based innovations in deep geothermal drilling (INNO-
Drill). Sintef KPN 2016-2019
• Fellesløsning grunnvann til varme og kjøling i Melhus sentrum (ORMEL2) Melhus
kommune 2018-2021
• Enhancing geothermal reservoirs - hydraulic and thermal stimulation technology UiB KPN
2017-2020
• Modeling of high temperature, high pressure geothermal energy production
system NTNU KPN 2017-2020
• Cost-effective and Reliable Engineered Casing Systems for super-HT Geothermal
Wells Statoil ASA IPN 2017-2020
• Integrerte varme- og kjølesystem for sykehusbygg med mål om minimal brutto
energibruk Norconsult IPN 2017-2020
• RockStore - develop, demonstrate and monitor the next generation BTES systems
NORCE KPN 2018-2021
• Cryogenic cooling canister for downhole tools Norwegian Well IPN 2018-2020
• Deep geothermal flow assurance; cost-efficient scale handling and heat fluid
robustness. Sintef KPN 2019-2020

In addition, Norway is involved in various EU HORIZON 2020 geothermal projects related to deep
geothermal energy, amongst others include HOCLOOP, GECO and REFLECT.

16.4.2 Operational Facilities

Table 16.2 lists large Norwegian bore hole installations which have more than 32 BHE’s
supplying a single facility. The facilities all use heat pump technology.

Table 16.2: Facilities with large arrays of BHEs (>32 BHEs) in Noway
City, Name No. BHE Depth BHE (m) Total BHE (m) Year
Lørenskog, Nye Ahus hospital 228 200 45600
Oslo, office/flats Nydalen 180 200 36000
Bergen, Sartor 162 200 32400 2014
Oslo, Norway School of Sport Sciences 97 300 29100
Oslo, Ulven housing housing cooperative 88 316 27808 2019
Gjelleråsen, Arcus 91 300 27300
Östfold, hospital 99 246 24600
Bergen, COOP Åsane 112 212 23744
Oslo, Manglerudjordet housing cooperative 67 299 20033 2018
Oslo, Vulkan urban development (Bellona) 68 300 19000
Bergen, Haukland Hospital 75 250 18750 2013
Ørlandet (Trondheim), airport 72 250 18000 2016
Oslo, Maridalsveien housing cooperative 50 360 18000 2019
Bergen, University College Bergen 80 220 17600 2012
Horten, Vestfold University 70 244 17110
Oslo Billingstad, IKEA 82 200 16400
Asker, Ericsson 56 247 13872
Mandal, Mandal community 83 164 13615
Oslo, buildings Johan Castbergs Vei 45 300 13500 2016

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City, Name No. BHE Depth BHE (m) Total BHE (m) Year
Oslo, Helsfyr housing cooperative 40 328 13120 2019
Oslo, offices Alnafossen 64 200 12800
Baerum, Ramstad school 45 281 12650
Hammerfest, New Hammerfest hospital 50 250 12500
Hammerfest , Finnmark hospital 50 250 12500 2017
Oslo, buildings Westye Egebergs Gate 1-4 44 280 12320 2014
Röyken, Röyken Community 41 300 12300
Oppegård, National Police operations center 40 300 12000 2019
Oslo, Engelsborg housing cooperative 34 340 11560 2019
Kongsberg, Kulturpark 38 299 11369
Stavanger, Smedvig Property 54 299 10800
Oslo, Lørenveien Parallell offices 41 258 10578 2018
Vikersund, Modumheimen (care home) 35 300 10500
Oslo, Bjerkedalen housing cooperative 32 320 10240 2019
Molde, Høgskolen i Molde 42 240 10080 2015
Narvik, BTV 50 201 10050
Bergen, Skandic Hotel Flesland 50 200 10000 2014/15
Oslo, Workplace Oo, Vitaminveien 4 40 250 10000 2018
Oslo, Workplace Oo offices 39 250 9750 2017

16.5 Research Highlights

Two DualPipe drilling technology” research projects are highlighted below. These two
geothermal projects commenced in 2022 and are based on the Reelwell DualPipe drilling
and completion technology, which seeks to develop a “horizontal closed loop” solution for
deep geothermal wells:

1. Project led by Reelwell, started in May 2022, funded by the Research Council of
Norway (EnergyX program), TotalEnergies and OMV. Project participants are
Halliburton, IFE and SNSK at Svalbard, Norway. The two year project aims to develop a
solution for use of this technology at Svalbard, and possible re-use of abandoned
petroleum wells for heat and electricity production.

2. Project (HOCLOOP) co-ordinated by IFE, started in October 2022, funded by the

Horizon Europe research program (Figure 16.2). Project participants are Reelwell,
Norce and several research institutes and universities in Italy, France, Germany,
Belgium and Finland. The 3.5-year project seeks to develop the solutions to
Technology Readiness Level 5 (EC, 2014), with a full scale verification to be performed
at a drilling and test site in Stavanger, Norway. The project will also consider
alternative circulation fluids (replacing water with other fluids) and will consider further
pilot studies elsewhere in Europe.

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 Left side: Conventional two well solution. Right side: HOCLOOP single well solution

Figure 16.2: Single well horizontal closed loop (HOCLOOP) system. For further information about Reelwell
DualPipe technology, see: https://www.reelwell.com/dualpipe

16.6 Other National Activities

16.6.1 Geothermal Education
Geothermal energy is part of a standard curriculum related to renewable energies which is
taught at all Norwegian universities. In their higher degree courses, students can focus their
theses on topics related to geothermal energy. This is often financed from the grants in
research projects identified in Section 16.4.1.

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16.6.2 Conferences
NORCE organised a dissemination “seminar in May 2022 with the title “Improving the energy
efficiency of geothermal energy utilisation by adjusting the user characteristics” based on the
results of the project “User4GeoEnergy” (RC 2018-1-0502) financed from the EAA Norwegian
grant.

Due to the corona pandemic and reorganisation within CGER, there have been no major
conference activities at a national level during 2022. However, the calendar for 2023 is full of
activities with various seminars, workshops, including the major biannual CGER conference
“GeoEnergy 23”.

16.6.3 Publications
The various publications can be obtained from the websites of the research projects listed in
Section 16.4.1.

16.7 Future Activity

CGER is organising a series of workshops, seminars and conferences during 2023 which will
be a meeting place for industry and academia to exchange experiences and discuss future
collaboration.

16.8 References
European Commission, Extract from Part 19 - Commission Decision C(2014) 4995, Annex G.
Technology readiness levels (TRL). Horizon 2020 – Work Programme 2014-2015.
Downloaded from https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/wp/2014_2015/annexes/h2020-wp1415-
annex-g-trl_en.pdf (2014)

16.9 Websites
www.rcn.no
www.cger.no
www.enova.no
http://www.energi21.no/
www.novap.no
www.innovasjonnorge.no
www.nve.no

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 17. Republic of Korea
Yoonho SONG, Tae Jong LEE
Deep Subsurface Research Center, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM), Gwahang-no 124,
Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34132, Korea, Email: [email protected]; [email protected]

17.1 Introduction
Geothermal utilisation in Korea is primarily direct use from ground-source or geothermal heat
pump (GSHP) installations, because there are no high temperature resources associated with
active volcanoes or tectonic activity. Installed GSHP capacity has increased rapidly since the
mid-2000s, with annually about 100 MWth of new installation (Figure 17.1). Annual new
installations decreased from 2019, but increased again in 2022 with ~101 MWth of new
installation. The total installed capacity reached up to ~1.685 GWth as at the end of 2022
(Table 17.1). Geothermal direct use other than GSHP, is mainly hot spring water for bathing and
space heating.

There’s no geothermal power plant yet in Korea, despite the 19.6-GWe of geothermal technical
potential across the country (Song et al., 2011). A pilot Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS)
project had been under development since 2010 until a magnitude 5.4 earthquake occurred
on 15 November 2017 in the vicinity of the EGS site. It occurred two months after injection and
subsequent bleeding-off had been concluded, but the local community were strongly
concerned about possible link between the earthquake and the stimulation process, and the
government eventually decided to stop the project.

All activities associated with deep geothermal development or exploration were stopped after
the earthquake. R&D funding for other geothermal research including geothermal heat pumps
was also reduced partly because of the negative perception regarding geothermal. Only small
R&D funds are assigned to a few R&D projects developing hybrid systems combining GSHP
together with solar PV and/or other renewable sources.

Table 17.1: Geothermal utilization in Korea as of December 31, 2022

Electricity Direct Use

Total Installed Capacity (MWe) – Total Installed Capacity (MWth) 43.6

New Installed Capacity (MWe) – New Installed Capacity (MWth) 0

0.594
Total Running Capacity (MWe) – Total Heat Used (PJ/yr) [GWh/yr]
[164.9]

Contribution to National Capacity Total Installed Capacity Heat

(%) – Pumps (MWth) 1,685.22

Total Generation (GWh) – Total Net Heat Pump Use [GWh/yr] 954.2

Contribution to National – Target (PJ/yr) N/A

Generation (%)
(N/A = data not available)

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GSHP installations continue to increase. Figure 17.1 shows the increasing trend of GSHP
installation since 2006. No national or academic activities regarding deep geothermal
development have been available or undertaken since 2020.

Figure 17.1 Increasing trend of GSHP installation since 2006.

17.2 Changes to Policy Supporting Geothermal Development

In May 2022, a new government declared strong support to nuclear power, which is in strong
contrast to the former government which made efforts to reduce nuclear power generation in
Korea. Renewable energy is still an important element in the national energy policy, but as yet
geothermal is not separately specified in the policy. Strong support will continue to be given
to renewables, especially to Solar, Wind and Hydrogen.

The Third National Energy Master Plan which was finalised and declared in June 2019 by the
Korean Government has a vision of “Sustainable growth and improving the quality of people’s
life through energy transition”.

It specifies five major tasks:

1) Converting energy policy paradigm to focusing on consumer innovation,

2) Switching to a clean and safe energy mix,
3) Enlarging distributed and participatory energy systems,
4) Strengthening global competitiveness of energy industry, and
5) Expansion of the foundation for the energy transition.

For Task 2, it states a target of renewable share of power generation being 30-35% by 2040.
There are ongoing subsidy programs and a mandatory act supporting renewable energy
deployment which includes geothermal heat pump installation.

In December 2020 the government declared ‘Carbon neutrality’ or ‘Net zero’ by 2050 with a
‘Green New Deal’ policy. The basic new and renewable energy plan covers more than a 10-
year period being renewed every 5 years. The Fifth New and Renewable Energy Basic Plan
which was declared at the end of 2020 being the plan for the period 2020 to 2034.

144
According to the Fifth New and Renewable Energy Basic Plan, 25.8% of electricity would be
supplied by new and renewable sources (22.2% by renewable, 3.6% by new energy sources),
while in the aspect of final energy consumption, renewables cover 12.4% out of a total of 23.5
million TOE by 2034.

Renewable power generation, especially solar PV and wind, is expected to increase rapidly
under the policy. There has been a notable decrease of government geothermal R&D funding
after the earthquake in 2017 which has not only impacted deep geothermal but also GSHP
R&D.

According to the basic plan, R&D investment would target the following four themes.

- Exploration and assessment of geothermal resources

- Low-cost drilling technology for shallow and deep geothermal
- High temperature heat pump units using low global warming potential coolant
- Hybrid geothermal heat pump systems and binary cycle geothermal systems

17.3 Geothermal Project Development

17.3.1 Projects Commissioned
No new projects were commissioned in 2022.

17.3.2 Projects Operational

An R&D project is in progress, which is to develop a hybrid energy supply system for a village
scale combining the solar PV and GSHP systems. It started from YR 2021 and will continue for
three years.

17.4 Research Highlights

There were no notable results or publications on EGS or deep geothermal in 2022.

Figure 17.2 Energy flow and monitoring diagram of ATES system for a greenhouse (Courtesy of B.O. Shim,
representative of KIGAM for the project)

145
A project that applied an aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) concept to a greenhouse
heating and cooling system, of about 350 kW capacity, was finalised in 2022, and monitoring
of the system performance and changes in the underground environment continues. A total of
six wells have been drilled of about 100 m depth, three of which are for warm wells and the
other three for cold wells. Figure 17.2 shows the energy flow of the installed ATES system and
monitoring parameters at each stage. The project was led by Korea Institute of Geoscience
and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) with participation from the other research institutes and
universities.

17.5 Other National Activities

17.5.1 Geothermal Education
In 2021, a new education system platform was established, called “Convergence and Open
Sharing System (COSS)”. The five leading topics include big data, energy, artificial intellectual,
semi-conductor, and media. Korea University leads the Energy section, and six universities
participate. It opens classes with the open sharing system. Experts from universities, national
institutions, and also from industries give lectures, and students from any of those universities
can access the lectures either online or offline. Geothermal is included in the Energy section,
and is led by Seoul National University.

17.5.2 Conferences
There are two geothermal academic societies: Korea Society of Geothermal and Hydrothermal
Energy (KSGHE) and Korean Society for New and Renewable Energy (KSNRE). Both societies
have regular annual domestic conferences. In 2022, KSGHE held their conference on Oct. 6 at
Anyang Univ. Four geothermal papers were presented, one of which was about the ATES
system mentioned in Section 4. The KSNRE conference was held on April 14-15, at the EXCO
conference hall, Daegu. Five geothermal papers were presented.

KSNRE holds an annual international conference, Asia-Pacific Forum on Renewable Energy

(AFORE). AFORE 2022 was held on Sep. 27 – Oct. 1 in Ramada Plaza Hotel, Jeju. Four
geothermal papers were presented.

17.5.3 Publications
KSGHE publishes a quarterly journal, Journal of the KSGHE, twelve papers have been
published in 2022. KSNRE publishes a quarterly journal, New and renewable energy
(http://journalksnre.com), but no papers were published related to geothermal in 2022.

17.6 Future Activity

The government is very keen to foster renewable energy deployment to substitute for fossil
fuels, however, the outlook for geothermal power generation in Korea continues to be weak
as a consequence of the earthquake that occurred close to the Pohang EGS site continues to
influence decision making on geothermal energy.

Geothermal utilization in terms of GSHP installation will continue to steadily increase. The
rapid increase was due to active subsidy programs and the special ‘Mandatory Act’. However,

146
the installation plan of GSHP according to the ‘Mandatory Act’ shows a decreasing trend since
2017, even though the total subsidy has stayed at more or less the same level of between 20
and 30 million USD annually.

GSHP installation and R&D projects for the hybrid systems in conjunction with solar PV or
biomass are going to receive funding to research the synergies in using different renewable
sources with their different characteristics. Thermal energy storage is another topic of interest.

17.7 References
Song, Y., S.-G. Baek, H.C. Kim, and T. J. Lee (2011), ‘Estimation of theoretical and technical
potentials of geothermal power generation using enhanced geothermal system’, Econ.
Environ. Geol., 44, 513–523. (In Korean with English abstract and illustrations).

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 18. Spain
Margarita de Gregorio, Paloma Pérez
GeoPlat, c/Cedaceros 11, 2C, 28014 Madrid, Spain.
[email protected], [email protected]

18.1 Introduction
The Spanish Geothermal Technology and Innovation Platform (GEOPLAT) is a sectorial
coordination group led by industry, consisting of all relevant stakeholders involved in the
Spanish geothermal energy industry (Companies and SMEs, Technology Centres and
Foundations, Associations and Cooperatives, Universities, Public Entities, Public Research
Centres). It aims at identifying and developing sustainable strategies for the promotion and
marketing of geothermal energy in Spain. It is constituted by 160 members, 27 of them are
geoplat sponsors.

GEOPLAT sponsors

GEOPLAT is a public-private entity promoted by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.

148
GEOPLAT focuses on geothermal energy as a renewable resource and associated
technologies. It covers the identification and evaluation of geothermal resources, and
sustainability and regulatory aspects.

GEOPLAT has a Steering Committee that coordinates the actions of the platform, to ensure
compliance with the objectives of each of the working groups and to encourage participation
and connection between them.

GEOPLAT focuses on identifying and developing sustainable strategies for the promotion,
implementation and dissemination of geothermal energy in Spain. It covers research,
development and innovation activities in terms of identification and evaluation of resources, and
the use of geothermal energy in all its forms and technologies. Sustainability, policy and
regulatory aspects are included, as are the fostering of relationships and collaboration with
similar platforms, both national and European.

Specific objectives:

• To provide a framework for agencies to work together in a coordinated manner to

ensure the commercial viability and continuous growth of geothermal, in a competitive
and sustainable form.

• To analyse the status of geothermal energy in Spain considering all stages of the value
chain, from the different types of resources to its end use, considering all the types of
technologies.

• To identify R&D needs and to recommend funding for research in strategic areas.

• To coordinate different participants of the science-technology companies involved in

the technological chain (at national and international level), and to encourage business
participation in the development of action plans, R&D and marketing.

• To participate in international forums and other activities.

• To publicise the potential of geothermal energy as well as the results and

recommendations of GEOPLAT in all related sectors.

• To promote training at all levels related to geothermal energy, to raise awareness and
to mobilise society and governments at national, regional and local levels.

149
Main activities of GEOPLAT:

• Close collaboration with public bodies and institutions with competencies in the
geothermal sector at a national level.

• Participation in European and international activities including European Technology

Platforms (Deep Geothermal and Renewable Heating and Cooling; ETIP Geothermal),
and IEA Geothermal.

• Official training courses on geothermal energy. Establishing the basis of an official

professional qualification in geothermal.

• Communication and dissemination: Editing official documents, reports and analysis from
the geothermal sector. Organisation of workshops and geothermal events.

18.2 Geothermal Highlights in 2022

With the difficult energy situation facing Europe, there are accelerating efforts to achieve the
energy transition reducing dependence on fossil fuels whilst attaining progressive gains in
energy autonomy. Geothermal energy continues to advance in Spain, consolidating itself as a
viable renewable and innovative alternative.

Geothermal energy could lead the national energy transition as increasingly ambitious energy
policy is adopted and the number of support programs for which geothermal energy is eligible
increase. A range of technological solutions could be implemented, including: space heating,
industrial heat, power generation and district air conditioning networks.

The Royal Decree 477/2021 grants the autonomous communities and the cities of Ceuta and
Melilla 660 million euros for the implementation of various incentive programmes linked to self-
consumption 54 of renewable energy and storage, as well as the implementation of renewable
thermal systems in the residential sector. The aid package is being delivered through six
incentive programmes financed through the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan
framework. Geothermal energy is included under the Implementation of thermal renewable
energy installations in the residential sector programme.

Through 2022, GEOPLAT has contributed to this progressive advance in geothermal energy
with the activities and initiatives it has carried out, both at the national and European level.

GEOPLAT organised, together with the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE) a
webinar where IDAE presented the first ground source heat pump census for Spain. The
publication of this official dataset is a significant milestone for the sector.

In addition, support for the implementation of geothermal facilities was presented, eligible
applications include building air conditioning (cooling and/or heating) and for low to high
temperature applications for production processes.

54 Self-consumption allows any person or company to produce renewable electricity for their own consumption by
installing photovoltaic solar panels or other renewable generation systems in their home, premises or neighbourhood
community. Any surplus is sold to the grid.

150
In June 2022, GEOPLAT celebrated its Annual Assembly confirming the commitment of the
Spanish business landscape to continue developing this renewable energy. Currently, there are
companies that are firmly committed to geothermal energy for their production processes,
whilst others are providing industrial and digitised solutions to decarbonise building air
conditioning. There is interest from oil companies in high-temperature geothermal energy for
electricity generation.

At the European level, GEOPLAT joined the European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC)
initiative, where 150 business and industries called on the European Commission to prepare, by
2023, a European strategy to unlock the potential of geothermal energy along with associated
sustainable mineral extraction. The strategy should assist to unlock the potential of geothermal
energy across the Spanish market and neighbouring countries.

18.3 Geothermal Activities in 2022

18.3.1 Geothermal projects in 2022
In Spain there are no geothermal power plants generating electricity and until recently the
geothermal heating and cooling system installed capacity data was poorly estimated due to
issues with reliability of the data sources.

In 2021 IDAE published an official census on geothermal direct use and the ground source heat
pump sector, which is a significant milestone enabling the development and promotion of policy
and support instruments.

Table 18.1 Geothermal heat pump data by Spanish autonomous community region. Data from 2021
IDAE census
Nº of
Autonomous Community Geothermal heat Heating Energy supplied by heat
pumps (GHPs) capacity (kW) pumps (ERES) (tep)
ANDALUCIA 106 10,500 1,032.3
ARAGÓN 241 42,519.2 4,680.3
CANARIAS 16 12,699.7 1,089
CANTABRIA 57 1,103.3 166.9
CASTILLA Y LEÓN 553 9,942.7 1.254,4
CASTILLA-LA MANCHA 202 4,193.4 430.7
CATALUÑA 37 10,035.1 1,239.4
COMUNIDAD DE MADRID 658 33,357.8 4,084.8
COMUNIDAD FORAL DE NAVARRA 70 2,664.6 654.6
COMUNIDAD VALENCIANA 37 5,762.5 483
EXTREMADURA 5 85,3 5.9
GALICIA 700 9,992.9 960.9
ISLAS BALEARES 15 7,876.2 422.4
LA RIOJA 23 1,482 187.1
PAIS VASCO 809 29,229.1 3,614.7
PRINCIPADO DE ASTURIAS 284 11,216.7 1,585.3
REGIÓN DE MURCIA 3 150 9.2
TOTAL 3,816 192,810.6 21,901

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1 tep = 41.868 GJ

The Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan opens up opportunities for geothermal
energy in Spain, enabling mobilisation of public and private investment, promotion of
decarbonisation and energy efficiency, and the deployment of other renewable energies.

The Government of the Canary Islands reaffirmed its commitment to geothermal energy with
planned funding of 90 M€ for geothermal development in the Islands, specifically for
exploration and research on the islands of Tenerife, Gran Canaria and La Palma. The budget
allocation for exploration and investigation of resources should help ascertain the existence of
geothermal resources and whether they can be used for power production.

The Government of the Canary Islands expects to announce public tenders for proposals for
the geothermal resource research programs in 2023.

18.3.2 Participation of GEOPLAT in European Geothermal R&D&I

projects
GEOPLAT works to achieve the commercial implementation of geothermal in Spain and its
competitive and sustainable growth. Among its activities, GEOPLAT is participating in several
European projects that address aspects such as geothermal resource exploration, increasing
the competitiveness of European SMEs, development of alternative financing schemes, and
public acceptance of geothermal energy.

GEO-ENERGY EUROPE. Geo-Energy for the 21st Century (Phase 2)

Geo-Energy Europe (GEE) was established to create a transnational cluster dedicated to

improving the development and competitiveness of European small and medium geothermal
enterprises working in the EU and globally. The Geo-Energy Europe meta cluster partners are
Geoscience Ireland (Ireland), Pole Avenia (France), GeoDeep (France), Geo Energy Celle
(Germany), the European Geothermal Energy Council (Belgium), Consorzio per lo Sviluppo delle
Aree Geotermiche (Italy), Cluster of Applied Earth Sciences (Hungary), GEOPLAT (Spain), and
Jeotermal Elektrik Santral Yatırımcıları Derneği (Turkey).

The second phase of the GEE project is bringing the skills and expertise of small and medium
sized European companies to the target markets of Canada, Kenya, Chile, and Costa Rica
identified in the first phase of the project. In addition, the second phase is establishing business
links between European small and medium-sized enterprises and their counterparts in mature
and emerging geothermal energy markets around the globe.

The four target countries were defined following consultation and questionnaire surveying all
of the partner members. The survey took place nearly four years ago (2019) and, in the
meantime the geothermal markets have changed. The Covid-19 crisis modified many market
aspects, especially as innovation and new trends appeared, The Covid-19 restrictions also
changed the focus of many of the SMEs, namely less international activity and a stronger focus
on national markets. For these reasons the partners believe that some of selected countries are
not as attractive now as they were four years ago. Also the work was mainly focused on deep
geothermal and power generation, whereas the trend has shifted to favour direct use district
and industrial heating and cooling.

152
On completion of the second phase of GEE in November 2022, the consortium has a common
objective to carry on and to continue building relationships in the target countries, as well as
cooperating with existing target markets. The consortium will aim to extend its reach into other
countries where there is potential to develop and explore for geothermal energy and are
considering Indonesia and Mexico, both of which have been identified as good prospects.
Partners will carry on identifying opportunities for European SME’s in the geo-energy sector and
seek various funding opportunities to carry on with the meta-cluster beyond its current phase.
The consortium has agreed to continue as a cluster after the GEE project closes.

CROWDTHERMAL - Community-Based Development Schemes for Geothermal Energy

The CROWDTHERMAL project aims to enable the European public to directly participate in the
development of geothermal projects with the help of alternative financing, such as
crowdfunding, and social commitment tools. The project has been funded within the European
Union's Horizon 2020 programme. The consortium is led by the European Federation of
Geologists (EFG) and consists of 10 partners from 7 countries, with extensive experience in the
development of large-scale geothermal projects, alternative financing, social media
engagement, innovation, education, and international geothermal energy networks (EFG, IZES,
UoG, GeoT, LPRC, CrowdfundingHub, SZDH, GEORG, Eimur, and GEOPLAT).

GEOPLAT carried out a study of societal knowledge and perception of geothermal energy
through the analysis of case studies in Spain, Hungary and Iceland. Different societies have
differing perceptions, and issues which influence whether initiatives will go ahead. After
analyzing the public acceptance of geothermal energy it was possible to work on building a
positive social approach encouraging the development of investment projects and the desire
to get involved in them.

The project has concluded with the development, among other initiatives, of an online platform
with different services (core services) made available to individuals, communities, project
developers and local authorities, along with a set of environmental studies, economic aspects,
financial risk mitigation, etc. to encourage the development of geothermal projects. This is an
innovative initiative seeking to stimulate and help society to participate directly in geothermal
projects.

At the First International Conference in Madrid (Spain), 7th April 2022, CROWDTHERMAL
introduced its core services. The core services will assist the geothermal sector by contributing
to an accelerated market development in Europe and supporting the European Union’s 2030
climate and energy targets as well as the new REpowerEU plan which aims at a greater strategic
independence of Europe’s energy supply. The conference was hosted by the Centre for Studies
and Experimentation of Public Works (CEDEX) and GEOPLAT and the European Federation of
Geologists co-organised the event.

In addition, recommendations have also been made so that national and European authorities,
as well as local authorities and project promoters can encourage greater public participation,
and improve synergy with EC policies and strategies. Harmony between the projects and
Institutions is necessary, as one of the main drivers of CROWDTHERMAL is to support the EU’s
strategic goal of reducing dependence on fossil fuels. The project is working to assist the
creation of a stable energy market along with a reduction in environmental impact of energy
supply.

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18.4 Other National Activities
18.4.1 Public Consultation
On 31st October 2022, the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic
Challenge opened public consultation on a Draft Order approving the regulatory basis for
granting support to medium to high temperature geothermal resource project feasibility studies
and also the draft resolution for the first call. The proposed grants will be in the form of economic
incentives to be used for evaluation, analysis, and quantification of the geothermal resources in
a given area. It includes technical and economic evaluation, an assessment of the resources
required for the execution of projects, the opportunities and risks, and an assessment of the
prospect for project success. The studies will form the basis for the first medium to high
temperature geothermal power generation projects in Spain. The expectation is that once
facilities are in place they will increase the supply of renewable energy and reduce energy
dependence on fossil fuels, especially in the Canary Islands, a territory with significant
geothermal resource potential.

GEOPLAT submitted requesting that the scope include low enthalpy geothermal resources (T:
45-100 ºC) located at more than 1500 m depth. The geothermal sector submitted supporting
the participation of regional SMEs that apply to the call that have the technical capacity and
experience in the development of deep geothermal projects and geothermal knowledge of the
Canary Islands.

18.4.2 Public Consultation on Mining Act

On 25th November 2022, the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the
Demographic Challenge opened the consultation process on a new Mining Law. The new law
is a commitment in the country strategy “road map for the sustainable management of Mineral
Raw Materials” adopted by decision of the council of ministers on 30 August 2022. This strategy
expressly includes the government's commitment to amend the mines and their regulatory
development law 22/1973 of 21 July.

GEOPLAT submitted, highlighting that the new Mining Law should clarify and resolve various
aspects related to the terms and the types of use of geothermal energy. Specifically, the
geothermal sector identified a need to harmonise the nomenclature used in terms of 'resources'
for geothermal and the current filing procedure for shallow geothermal systems used for air
conditioning of buildings and production of domestic hot water.

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18.4.3 Conferences
• PIXIL workshop: Present and future of geothermal energy in Spain and France
Online, 20th and 21st January 2022
Info

• GEOPLAT - IDAE webinar: ‘Impulsando la Geotermia en España’

Online, 11st February 2022
Info

• Webinar ‘Actualidad sectorial: GEOTERMIA’ - Ateneo de Energía

Online, 28th March 2022
Info

• CROWDTHERMAL First International Conference: Introducing our services for

community-funded geothermal projects
Madrid, 7th April 2022
Info

• European Geothermal Shallow Days 2022

Barcelona, 14th – 15th June 2022
Info

• Coordination Committee of the Spanish Energy Technology Platforms (CCPTE) -

CCPTE workshop: ‘El CCPTE como instrumento de innovación tecnológica en la
transición energética’
Madrid, 15th June 2022
Info

• GEOPLAT Annual Assembly 2022

Madrid, 21st June 2022

• Summer courses ‘Geotermia: la energía renovable de la Tierra’ organised by

Universidad Complutense de Madrid in collaboration with with GEOPLAT
Madrid, 11st – 12th July 2022
Info

• V Congreso de Industria Conectada

Valencia, 8th November 2022
Info

• Session ‘Urban Energy Communities’ - 16th edition of National Congress on the

Environment (CONAMA)
Madrid, 22nd November 2022
Info

• GEOPLAT - Oficina Verde del Ayuntamiento de Madrid webinar: ‘Geotermia:

potencial, ayudas y casos prácticos en rehabilitación’
Online, 23rd November 2022
Info

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18.5 Future Activity
In 2023, GEOPLAT will work promoting and boosting the development of geothermal R&D&I
projects in Spain. This will include identification of calls, monitoring of proposals, and assisting
and encouraging the formation of consortia.

GEOPLAT will assist its members in the identification of potential partners and projects and will
work to improve and update the catalogue of capacity of the Spanish geothermal sector. This
catalogue is a public directory of GEOPLAT participants that have information or expertise in
scientific,-technological, industrial, training, and geothermal facilities, in the sector. The data will
contribute to relevant Spanish geothermal sector reports. GEOPLAT will celebrate its Annual
Assembly and promote other events and activities of interest to its members.

In 2023 the Spanish Geothermal sector expects the publication of the support program
facilitating geothermal resource exploration and research, and the analysis of potential sites for
the first geothermal electricity generation project or thermal use projects in Spain.

18.6 References
• GEOPLAT Website: www.geoplat.org

• 2022 GEOPLAT Yearbook: https://www.geoplat.org/portfolio-items/anuario-2022/

• GEOPLAT Blog: http://blog.geoplat.org

• Spanish Institute for Diversification and Saving of Energy (IDAE): http://www.idae.es

• Geological Survey of Spain (IGME): http://www.igme.es/

• GEO-ENERGY EUROPE project: https://www.geoenergyeurope.com/

• CROWDTHERMAL project: http://www.crowdthermalproject.eu/

• Spanish Centre for Industrial Technological Development (CDTI): https://www.cdti.es/

• Spanish State Research Agency (AEI): http://www.ciencia.gob.es/portal/site/MICINN/aei

IDAE Heat pump statistics: https://estadisticas-bombasdecalor.idae.es/

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 19. Switzerland
Florence Bégué and Christian Minnig
Swiss Federal Office of Energy
[email protected]

19.1 Introduction
Switzerland’s uptake of shallow geothermal continues at pace. The theoretical potential for direct
use geothermal, geothermal heating and cooling and geothermal for power generation is
considered very large. Current estimates of the technical and economic potential (with support
mechanisms) for geothermal energy is about 2 TWh pa for power production. There is currently
no binding target for heat production, however the potential for heat production both from direct
use and ground sourced heat pumps is estimated to be as high as 25% of the total heat demand
in Switzerland by 2025 (estimates from geothermie-schweiz.ch). Underground heat storage
potential has been estimated at 4-6 TWh pa for BTES and low-temperature ATES (2022 statement
from geothermie-schweiz.ch).

The Swiss government supports the development of geothermal energy use through a range of
measures for both power production (based on the Energy Act revised in 1 January 2018) and
direct use of geothermal energy for heat production (CO2-Act partially revised in 1 January 2018).
Additionally, applied research and development, as well as pilot and demonstration projects are
supported through a number of energy research programs. Swiss participation in European
funding programs such as GEOTHERMICA as well as the Clean Energy Transition Partnership
under Horizon Europe are maintaining and developing an international network of stakeholders
focussed on accelerating implementation of geothermal energy.
Table 19.1 Status of geothermal energy use in Switzerland (figures from 2022)
Electricity Heating

Total Installed Capacity (MWe) 0 Total Installed Capacity (MWth) 2’650

New Installed Capacity (MWe) 0 New Installed Capacity (MWth) 157

15.29
Total Running Capacity (MWe) 0 Total Heat Used (PJ/yr) [GWh/yr]
(4’246.0)

Total Installed Capacity Heat Pumps

Contribution to National Capacity (%) 0 2’626.2
(MWth)

Total Generation (GWh) 0 Total Net Heat Pump Use [GWh/yr] 4’075

Contribution to National Generation

0 Total Direct Use [GWh/yr] 5.8
(%)

Target 2050 (GWh/yr) 2’000 Target (PJ/yr) N/A

Estimated Country Potential Estimated Country Potential (MWth or

(GWh/yr) N/A PJ/yr or GWh/yr) N/A

(N/A = data not available)

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19.2 Policy Supporting Geothermal Development
During the period of 2008 to 2017, the Swiss federal government has supported geothermal
power generation projects solely through direct incentive measures. Switzerland employed two
principal policy instruments that were oriented towards development and deployment of deep
geothermal energy technology for power generation: feed-in tariffs and a geothermal risk
guarantee program. Before 2018, the feed-in tariffs for electricity from geothermal energy
depended on the installed electricity capacity of the project and the project type; hydrothermal
or EGS. When granted, the payment of the feed-in tariffs was guaranteed for 20 years. The risk
guarantee scheme covered up to 50% of the costs associated with the geological risk of finding
a geothermal resource. The risk guarantee payment was made only if partial or total failure of the
project occurred. Therefore, project developers seeking to use the risk guarantee scheme had
to define success and failure cases for their projects, principally in terms of wellhead temperature,
production rate and also in terms of chemistry of the produced fluids. Overall, there has been
very little uptake of either of these support mechanisms by local project developers. The barriers
to entry were too high even with the two attractive policy support programs in place.

Switzerland recognized the potential of geothermal among other renewable energies while
setting the targets in its Energy Strategy 2050. In 2017, a major revision of the Energy-Act and a
series of revised and new ordinances were adopted. These came into effect on the 1st of January
2018. Within this legislative framework, the government and its federal administration enhanced
the geothermal policy measures which now encourage both geothermal direct use heat and
power production through a set of subsidies, including:

• Two subsidies for the upstream exploration and development activities that lead to the
uptake of geothermal direct use for heat production. The subsidies cover up to 60% of
the costs associated with the geological risk of finding, assessing and developing a
geothermal resource for subsequent heat production – in practice these are all the
subsurface investment costs required for first heat into a heat plant. A budget of up to
CHF 30 million per year (1 CHF ~ 1 US$) was allocated to support geothermal direct use
projects. No expiry date for these risk mitigation schemes has been set to date.
• Geothermal power projects are encouraged through a set of subsidies comparable to
those for the geothermal direct use schemes. Prospecting and exploration activities for
geothermal power projects up to the stage where a geothermal reservoir has been
proven may be supported by a financial contribution of up to 60% of the admissible
costs.
• The geothermal risk guarantee (pre 2018 mechanism) remains available and has been
extended to cover up to 60 % of the investment in exploration and development of
geothermal resources for power generation. Both the risk guarantee scheme and the
subsidies for geothermal power generation are available until 2031. About CHF 50
million annually may be committed to geothermal power projects.
• Switzerland decided to make the lodging of all types of data and analyses from
subsidised projects to the Swiss Geological Survey, Swisstopo, compulsory. While
Swisstopo is allowed to make full use of all the data and analyses, only specific raw or
processed data sets will be published and open to the public for use.
• The feed-in tariffs remain available to geothermal power projects until 2023, but the
duration has been reduced to 15 years.

Strong political support for renewable energy deployment has contributed to improving and
adapting the support schemes for geothermal energy. A series of major revisions underway will

158
lead to new support mechanisms being implemented from 2023, including the replacement of
the feed-in-tariff mechanism by an investment grant covering up to 60% of the costs of the
geothermal power plant. In addition, the exploration subsidy for geothermal power projects will
be extended to cover up to 60% of all subsurface development costs, similar to the support
mechanism in place for direct use geothermal heat projects.

The Energy Strategy 2050 includes an “action plan coordinated energy research”. Financial
support for geothermal research and innovation had grown considerably reaching at its highest
CHF 25 Mio in 2018. In 2022, CHF 14 Mio was available for geothermal energy research.

19.3 Geothermal Project Development

19.3.1 Projects Commissioned
The following projects for direct use or power productions are in the planning and execution
phase in 2022:

Project name / Project Project duration and

Project developer developer Technology /planned energy use status
GEothermie 2020 SIG Hydrothermal heat production, 200 2020 – 2023, 3D seismic
(GE) GWHth for district heating, 25 GWHth campaign finished in 2021
for greenhouse heating
Hydrothermal heat production for
district heating, 30 – 40 GWhth from
two 2500 m deep boreholes, 2020 – 2024, drilling in
EnergeÔ Vinzel and seismic prospection campaign 3
EnergeÔ SA additional boreholes. Vinzel well Vinzel planned for 2023,
La Côte (VD) seismic campaign finished
showed flow rates above in 2021
expectation, but not sufficient
temperature for direct use. Options
being evaluated.
Hydrothermal production from a
2300 or 3000 m deep borehole.
Power production 5 GWhel, 15 GWhth 2020 – 2024, well drilled
Lavey-les-Bains (VD) AGEPP SA heating of thermal baths. Initital flow
in 2022
rate proved insufficient. Well
temporarily suspended. Further
steps in evaluation.
Aquifer thermal heat storage project
Energie through array of 6 boreholes in 2019-2023, drilling set to
Forsthaus Bern (BE) Wasser Molasse units. Waste heat produced start in second half of
Bern (ewb) a waste-to-energy plant is stored 2022
and produced for district heating.

Geo- Petrothermal (EGS) project for 2020-2029, permit in

force after delays, drilling
Haute Sorne (JU) Energie power, 25 – 40 GWHel, and heat 160 activities planned for
Suisse AG – 200 GWHth
2023.
Wärmeverb Surface exploration
Hydrothermal project, direct heat
geo2riehen (BL) und Riehen program completed in first
use for district heating 5 GWhth
AG half of 2022.
Prospection Program to identify drill Seismic acquisition
Eclépens (VD) SGE sites for power and heat production planned for 2023, drilling
out of ca. 5000 m deep doublet. phase 2025-2027
Seeleben 600m deep singlet to produce
Kreuzlingen (TG) Waiting on permit
AG water for heating swimming pool

159
 and a low-temp district heating
system

19.3.2 Operational Projects

In 2022, the total installed capacity of geothermal-based heating facilities was 2’650 MW, which
is made up of ground-sourced heat pumps (83.4%) shallow ground water use (13.0%), geo-
structures (1.3%), deep aquifers with heat pumps (0.2%), direct use (0.2%), tunnel water use with
heat pumps (0.1%), direct use (< 0.2%), and thermal baths (0.7%). In total, this is an increase of 6.3%
since 2021. The total produced heat energy is 4’246 GWh, of which 3’193 GWh (ca. 75%) is
geothermal energy (i.e. energy produced before the heat pump). The history of the geothermal
energy production since 1990 is shown in Figure 19.1. Heating facilities based on deep aquifers
and tunnel water as well as thermal baths are listed below (numbers from 2020). Currently, there
are no operational geothermal power plants.

Others (tunnel water, deep aquifers, deep heat sondes)

Shallow ground water use

Thermal baths

Ground source heat pumps (incl. earth baskets and registers)

Figure 19.1: Annual geothermal energy production of all geothermal systems (both with and without heat
pump) between 1990 and 2022 (based on Link, 2022)

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19.3.2.1 Deep Aquifer
Heating project Capacity Heat energy Geothermal energy
direct use DU/ heat pump HP [MW]*) [GWh/yr] (without HP)
Riehen (BS), DU 1.5 0.48 0.48
Riehen (BS), HP 3.5 1.75 1.35
Bassersdorf (ZH), HP 0.24 0.47 0.24
Davos Arkaden (GR), HP 0.88 4.26 2.4
Itingen (BL), HP 0.08 0.18 0.13
Kloten (ZH), HP 0.24 0.82 0.5
Seon (AG), HP 1.20 1.75 1.35
Schlattingen, (TG), DU 4.9 3.8 3.8

19.3.2.2 Tunnel water

Heating project Geothermal
Flow rate Temperature Capacity Heat energy
(Heat pump, unless energy
[l/s] [°C] [MW]*) [GWh/yr]
indicated) (without HP)
Lötschberg base tunnel,
100 (used
direct use of tunnel water ca. 85) 19 6.83 2.00 See left
for fish farm, Frutigen
Lötschberg base tunnel,
11.3 16-18 1.08 1.04 0.62
Frutigen (BE/VS)
Furka Railway tunnel,
70 16 1.69 3.37 2.49
Oberwald (VS)
Gotthard road tunnel, 111 (used
Airolo (TI) 33-40) 12-17 0.72 0.86 0.62

Ricken railway tunnel,

Kaltbrunn (SG) 11.5 12.3 0.16 0.25 0.17

Hauenstein railway tunnel, 42 (used

19 non-operational in 2022
Trimbach (SO) 22)
Mappo Morettina, road
tunnel, Minusio/Tenero 4.2 16-18 0.09 0.08 0.03
(TI)

19.3.2.3 Thermal spas

Thermal spa Flow rate Temperature Capacity Heating energy
Location (Canton) [l/s] [°C] [MW]*) [GWh/yr]
Andeer (GR) 0.67 19 0.03 0.21
Baden (AG) undergoing renovations
Bad Ragaz (SG) 23.8 36.5 2.65 22.01
Bad Schinznach S3 (AG) 7.44 41 1.2 9.96
Brigerbad (VS) 33.3 36.5 3.71 30.85
Kreuzlingen (TG) 0.76 28.5 0.09 0.72
Lavey-les-Bains (VD) 18.9 50.3-64.3 3.56 29.48

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 Leukerbad (VS) 46.1 47 7.17 59.64
Ovronnaz (VS) 2.66 24 0.16 1.30
Saillon (VS) 58.3 18-24 undergoing renovations
Stabio (TI) 0.67 13 0.01 0.07
Vals (GR) 4.11 27 0.29 2.44
Yverdon-les-Bains (VD) 3.0 28 0.23 1.89
Bad Zurzach (AG) 6.97 39.7 0.78 6.45
Total 22.26 185.25

19.4 Research Highlights

The federal government finances the energy research and innovation projects developing
technologies that make geothermal more cost effective, safer, more efficient and more reliable
as an energy source for electricity and heat. Improvements in geothermal drilling and exploration
technologies are expected to eventually result in a decrease in the costs and risks associated
with geothermal development by; increasing drilling efficiency, and making resource evaluation
more accurate.

Research and innovation are funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (fundamental
research), the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (applied energy research, pilot and demonstration
and consortia projects) and Innosuisse (market-driven research). Some of the federally funded
Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology have allocated funds to be used for geothermal energy
research and innovation. Of these five institutes, ETH Zurich, EPF Lausanne and the Paul Scherrer
Institute engage in geothermal research and innovation.

Although Switzerland is not an associated state in the Horizon Europe EU research framework
program, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) cooperates with European funding agencies
through the European Research Network GEOTHERMICA and via its dedicated funding programs
for geothermal energy research and innovation. Since 2022 Switzerland participates in the Clean
Energy Transition Partnership (CETP) – the new European Research Network co-funded by the
European Union, as an associated country member.

In 2022, funding of geothermal research and development, including pilot and demonstration
projects was at a level of CHF 14 million (Figure 19.2). The decrease in funding for geothermal
energy from 2021 onwards can be explained by the end of the funding programme for the
establishment of Swiss Competence Centres for Energy Research (SCCER) in 2020.

162
Figure 19.2: Annual funds spend on Geothermal research and development as well as pilot and demonstration
projects in Switzerland between 2011 and 2022.

Some research highlights are described in the following sections. The list of projects is not
exhaustive.

19.4.1 Hydraulic stimulation experiments in underground

laboratories
Between 2014 and 2020, eight SCCER were running to develop competences and initiate
research and innovation in fields critical for Switzerland’s Energy Strategy 2050. One of them
focussing on Supply of Electricity (SCCER-SoE) dealt with geothermal energy, primarily focussed
on Engineered Geothermal Systems but also on direct use geothermal energy and heat storage.
A synthesis report (Giardini et al, 2021) highlighting the major achievements of the SCCER-SoE
was published in September 2021.

A primary focus of the initiatives where in situ underground laboratory experiments on hydraulic
stimulation in crystalline rock, first at the Grimsel Test Site (GTS, 450 m below surface, between
2014 – 2017) and then in the newly established “Bedretto Underground Laboratory for Geoenergy
and Geosciences (BULGG. 1 km below surface, since 2019)”. These hydraulic stimulation
experiments were downscaled by roughly one (BULGG) and two (GTS) orders of magnitude in
size and aimed at exploring stimulation concepts (multi-stage stimulations, zonal isolation) that
are adapted from unconventional oil and gas industry technology seeking to unlock the potential
of engineered geothermal systems in a safe, efficient and reproducible manner. Thus, another
important topic was to improve the management of induced seismic hazards through enhanced
process understanding and the development of a-priori and near-real time hazards and risk
analysis schemes. The experiments at the GTS demonstrated that in principle that multi-stage

163
stimulations are superior to conventional open-hole stimulations in that permeability can be
increased in a more precise, efficient and safe (in terms of induced seismicity) way.

In the BULGG, hydraulic stimulations were performed at scales close to actual EGS scale in the
pilot and demonstration project VALTER and the Horizon EU project DESTRESS. Thus, also the
equipment for full-scale EGS projects (pumps, borehole completions, monitoring instruments, etc.)
could be tested. More efficient drilling techniques (percussion drilling), and different ways to
complete boreholes for zonal isolation (sliding sleeves, multi-packers, small-diameter lateral
holes, etc.) were explored in the GEOTHERMICA project ZoDrEx which concluded in 2021.

19.4.2Research and innovation for engineered geothermal

systems
Several projects are supporting the development of EGS:

• The GEOTHERMICA project COSEISMIQ, finished in 2021, improved and validated

advanced technologies for monitoring and controlling induced seismicity at the Hengill
geothermal area demonstration site in Iceland.
• The GEOTHERMICA project DEEPEN uses experience and data from Iceland acquired
through COSEISMIQ to further develop ambient noise based subsurface imaging
techniques.
• Similarly, as a continuation of COSEISMIQ, the GEOTHERMICA project DEEP focuses on
innovative seismic processing, seismicity forecast modelling and adaptive risk
assessment as part of so-called advanced traffic light systems. The developments can
readily be tested in the unique FORGE field laboratory in Utah.
• The project SPINE (also GEOTHERMICA) aims at developing new tools for characterizing
the stress field along boreholes, which supports the design of reservoir creation
procedures.
• The design of reservoir stimulation will further be facilitated by a novel high-end reservoir
simulator developed within the project EMOD.

This series of projects are to some degree targeted on the up-coming EGS project in Haut-Sorne
(see Section 19.3.1) and other future EGS projects, where many of the developed concepts are to
be put into practise. The projects DEEPEN, DEEP, SPINE and EMOD are ongoing at the end of
2022.

19.4.3 Heat storage and drilling technologies

Further research and innovation efforts included the GEOTHERMICA project HEATSTORE with
the goal of promoting underground thermal heat storage (UTES) in Europe. The two project
sites; SIG in Geneva, and Forsthaus in Bern (see Section 19.3.1) have been part of the project,
with work at these sites ongoing. The Swiss part of the project VESTA (with partners in the EU
and USA) continues to focus on the Forsthaus site investigating geochemical issues arising
from cyclic production and injection in higher temperature storage situations. At Zurich
Airport, a lighthouse pilot project starting in 2022 will investigate a Quaternary channel for
large-scale aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES). These channels are thought to have
permeable layers with low groundwater flow at their base at a depth of about 300 m, which
would be very suitable for energy storage. The project will use geophysics and exploratory
drilling to investigate and test the storage potential of these basal aquifers.

164
Alternative drilling technologies were explored in the research project SPALL-APP looking at
thermal-spallation drilling in laboratory experiments and in project PLASMA looking into
plasma-pulse drilling using numerical modelling. As part of the GEOTHERMICA project DEPLOI
the HEAT (project start 2022), a prototype of directional Steel Shot Drilling (DSSD), a novel
directional drilling technology developed by Canopus Drilling Solutions B.V., will be
constructed and deployed in a full operational field trial in Switzerland. DSSD offers an
innovative solution to enhance the productivity and cost-effectiveness of geothermal drilling.
This technology trial and a supporting modelling study investigating the impact of the
technology on Swiss mid-deep geothermal projects will be carried out as part of the Swiss
contribution to the project.

19.4.4SWEET: Inter- and transdisciplinary energy research

funding
The funding programme SWEET (SWiss Energy research for the Energy Transition) was
launched in 2021, as a successor of the previous SCCER programme, to accelerate innovation
for implementing the Swiss Energy Strategy 2050. The funding programme runs until 2032 with
a budget of CHF 136.4 Mio. In contrast to SCCER, SWEET uses calls for proposals to support
inter- and transdisciplinary consortia consisting of different universities, higher education
institutions and partners from the private and public sectors.

The four consortia from the first call on the topic of "Integration of renewables into a sustainable
and resilient Swiss energy system", which also included the integration of geothermal energy,
started their research work in 2021. In addition to the SWEET consortia, the instrument SOUR
("SWEET OUtside-the-box Rethinking") supports unconventional projects implemented by
individual researchers or small teams. In the first SOUR call - on the same topic as the first
SWEET call - four projects were funded.

19.5 Other National Activities

19.5.1 Geothermal Education
An overview of education and training courses related to geothermal energy can be found
through this web address: https://geothermie-schweiz.ch/aus-und-weiterbildungen/. The
University of Neuchâtel runs a successful and popular Certificate for Advanced Studies on
Exploration & Development of Deep Geothermal Systems (CAS DEEGEOSYS). In 2022 ETH
Zurich offered a one-week course on Geothermal utilisation of the subsurface as part of the
Certificate for Advanced Studies in Applied Earth Sciences.

19.5.2 Conferences
In 2022 a number of national geothermal conferences with significant geothermal interest took
place in Switzerland:

• Gurten Symposium: Speicherung im Untergrund, Bern (BE), 19. Oktober 2022

• Geothermie Forum 2022, Bern (BE), 29. September 2022 Publications

See the publication websites of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (Geothermal energy
(admin.ch)), the public database Aramis listing research and innovation projects, fully or partially

165
funded by the federal government (ARAMIS Geoenergy projects (admin.ch)) and of the SCCER-
SoE (http://www.sccer-soe.ch/publications/).

19.6 Useful Websites

Geothermie-Schweiz (Swiss Geothermal Association) http://geothermie-schweiz.ch
Fachvereinigung Wärmepumpen Schweiz FWS (Swiss http://www.fws.ch
Heat Pump Association)
Swiss Competence Center for Energy Research – http://www.sccer-soe.ch
Supply of Energy (SCCER SoE) http://www.sccer-soe.ch/research/geo-energy/
Bedretto Underground Laboratory for Geoenergies http://www.bedrettolab.ethz.ch/home/
Grimsel Test Site (Grimsel rock laboratory) http://www.grimsel.com

19.7 Future Activity

The geothermal sector is benefiting from the first set of measures from the Energy Strategy 2050
with a total subsidy of about CHF 114 Mio and CHF 77 Mio awarded to specific geothermal power
and direct use heat production projects as at the end of 2022. While the focus remains on
subsurface prospection activities, exploration drilling activities have been increasing since the
beginning of 2021. In addition, whilst the uptake of the subsidy programs supporting the
development of direct use of geothermal heat projects is ongoing, a noticeable increase in
interest has been observed in geothermal power production projects in the last 2 years.

19.8 References
Giardini, D., Guidati, G. (eds.), Amann, F., Driesner, T., Gischig, V., Guglielmetti, L., Hertrich, M.,
Holliger, K., Krause, R., Laloui, L., Lateltin, O., Lecampion, B., Löw, S., Maurer, H., Mazzotti, M.,
Meier, P., Moscariello, A., Saar, M. O., Spada, M., Valley, B., Wiemer, S., Zappone, A. (2021): Swiss
Potential for Geothermal Energy and CO2 Storage, Synthesis Report, ETH Zurich, 2021.
doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000518184.

Link, Katharina: Statistik der geothermischen Nutzung in der Schweiz – Ausgabe 2022.
Schlussbericht, 14. September 2023.

Geothermie-Schweiz: Bewertung des Potenzials für die geothermische Speicherung in der

Schweiz. Positionspapier Geothermie-Speicher September 2022

SFOE, Energy Research and Cleantech Section: Energy Research and Innovation, Report 2022

166
 20. United Kingdom
Andres Gonzalez Quiros1, Melanie Jans-Singh2 and Corinna Abesser3
British Geological Survey, The Lyell Centre, Research Avenue South, Edinburgh. Email: [email protected]
1
2Energy Engineering, Science and Innovation for Climate and Energy, Department for Business, Energy and
Industrial Strategy (BEIS), 1 Victoria Street, London, SW1H 0ET, UK. Email: [email protected]
3 British Geological Survey, Nicker Hill, Keyworth, Nottinghamshire, NG12 5GG. Email: [email protected]

20.1 Introduction
This report summarises the development of geothermal energy activities and projects in the
United Kingdom in 2022.

Table 20.1 summarises the geothermal energy usage in the UK for the calendar year 2022.
The installed capacity of 816 MWth is obtained from an estimated 49,280 installed ground
source heat pumps. A new mine water scheme has been developed in Gateshead (NE
England) with an installed capacity of 6 MWth. The two deep geothermal schemes in Cornwall,
United Downs and Eden, are in their final stages of development, with United Downs
completing the design of the power plant and Eden expecting to start heat supply in 2023.
Four more deep geothermal projects (with 5 MWe and 20 MWth each) have been proposed in
Cornwall. Two of them obtained planning permission in 2022.

Table 20.1:Geothermal energy usage for the calendar year 2022

Electricity Direct Use

Total Installed Capacity (MWe) 0 Total Installed Capacity (MWth) 14.1

New Installed Capacity (MWe) 0 New Installed Capacity (MWth) 6

Total Running Capacity (MWe) 0 Total Heat Used (PJ/yr) [GWh/yr] N/A

Contribution to National Capacity Total Installed Capacity Heat

(%) 0 Pumps (MWth) 816#

Total Generation (GWh) 0 Total Net Heat Pump Use [GWh/yr] 1368#

Contribution to National 0 Target (PJ/yr) No target

Generation (%)
(N/A = data not available).
#Heat pump data are forecasted based on market trends, expecting growth in GHSP sales of 1% in 2022 (BSRIA,
2022). In calculating the net GSHP use it has been assumed that the hours per year heating equivalent full load is
1800 h/year for domestic systems and 1500 h/year for commercial systems (Le Feuvre & St John Cox, 2009).

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20.2 Changes to Policy Supporting Geothermal Development
In 2022, the Parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee (EAC, 2022) commissioned an
inquiry into the potential of deep geothermal technologies, with a focus on mine water heat
and deep geothermal.

The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) closed for domestic users applications in March 2022
while for non-domestic schemes it has been extended for a year to compensate for the delays
caused by the Covid pandemic.

A new Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) was announced by the government to provide funding
to domestic and small non-domestic installations. Starting in April 2022, the BUS offers capital
grants of £6,000 for ground source heat pumps (and £5,000 for air source heat pumps and
biomass boilers) for schemes up to 45 kW. It is expected that the scheme will support a
maximum of 30,000 homes per year over the 3 years.

The Building Services Research and Information Association (BSRIA) annual report expects
that the BUS will lead to a fall in the sales of ground source heat pumps (BSRIA, 2022) as the
new BUS prioritises air-source heat pumps which are cost comparable to gas boilers, with
GSHPs comparatively more expensive. On the other hand, it is predicted (BSRIA, 2022) that
growth in large GSHP (sold into dairies, schools, stately homes but with the largest share in
large farm houses).

Two schemes are available in England and Wales to support the development of heat
networks. The Heat Network Delivery Unit (HNDU) provides support for local authorities by
funding techno-economic feasibility studies and detailed project development. In the financial
year 2022/2023 £3.9m was awarded to 30 local authorities. The fund supports networks with
heat demands larger than 2 GWh/year (urban) or more than 100 connected dwellings (rural).
The Green Heat Network Fund (GHNF) opened in March 2022 with £288m of capital funding,
open for three years being available for projects in England and Wales. In Rounds 1 (closing on
25th November), no geothermal projects received funding.

In 2022, the Heat Networks Zoning Pilot was launched with the aim of developing heat
networks in zones where they provide lowest cost and low carbon heat to the consumer
through regulation, mandating powers and market support. A first step has consisted of
developing zoning models that identifypossible heat network zones.

In Scotland, three funding programmes are available for geothermal technologies. The
Scottish Heat Network Fund (SHNF), the Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme
(LCIPT) and the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES). Recent strategic
documents by the Scottish Government (“Heat in Buildings Strategy”, the Heat Networks Act
2021 and the Heat Network Delivery Plan) have commitmented to make funding available for
heat and energy projects and set targets for the amount of heat supplied by heat networks.

In Northern Ireland, a new Geothermal Advisory Committee (GAC) chaired by the Geological
Survey of Northern Ireland was established in July 2021 which aims to provide independent
advice to the NI Department of Economy on multiple aspects related to geothermal. There are
no specific funding support schemes for geothermal energy or heat networks available in
Northern Ireland.

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Deep geothermal power continues to be eligible to compete in the Contracts for Difference
(CfD) among the less established technologies. In 2022, no geothermal energy projects have
been successful in winning CfD funding, as the cost and capacity of geothermal power is
higher comparative with competing renewable energy power sources.

20.3 Geothermal Project Development

20.3.1 Projects Commissioned
England

Geothermal Engineering Ltd. (GEL) successfully completed the drilling of the two deep wells in
the United Downs Deep Geothermal Power project (UDDGPP) in Cornwall, the deeper with
a total vertical depth (TVD) of 5057 m and total length of 5275 m. The project will provide the
first geothermal power in the UK. The power plant is currently being designed and the start of
the construction is expected for 2023. When finalised it will generate 3 MW of electricity and
15 MW of heat. In addition, GEL has announced plans to develop four additional projects in
Cornwall following a similar approach using the learnings from United Downs, with an
expecting capacity of 5 MW electricity and 20 MW thermal each. Two of the projects,
Penhallow and Manhay, obtained planning permission in 2022.

The drilling of the first well of the Eden geothermal project, also in Cornwall, was completed
in November 2021 becoming the longest geothermal well in the UK (5277 m; TVD of 4871 m).
The first stages of testing were satisfactorily completed in 2022 and it is expected that the
deep coaxial well will be operational and start to supply heat for the Eden Biomes, offices and
nursery greenhouses in 2023. A second phase of the project includes the drilling of a second
deep well with the construction of a power generation facility to follow.

A deep open-loop ground source heat pump project is under construction in Scunthorpe
(Lincolnshire) to provide heat to the Scunthorpe General Hospital. Drilling has started to
depths of more than 500 m.

A mine water heat scheme in Gateshead (NE England) will supply up to 6 MW of heat to a
range of homes, businesses and council buildings. The project received a grant of almost £6m
from the Heat Network Investment Project to increase the size of the district heat network by
using mine water. The Gateshead project is developed close to the operational mine water
scheme at Lanchester Wines that provides ~4 MW of heat for two large warehouses. The Coal
Authority is developing a monitoring network known as the Living Lab, to monitor the
evolution of both schemes and identify possible interference between them.

Another mine water geothermal project in Seaham Garden Village was expected to start its
development at the end of 2022, while a project in Hebburn that aimed to use mine water
encountered problems during drilling and the initial plans to use mine water energy have
shifted towards the use of air source heat pumps.

Northern Ireland

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The Department for the Economy’s geothermal demonstrator project, GeoEnergy NI,
comprises geothermal exploratory and feasibility studies at two locations, to be delivered
incrementally in the coming years.

The first phase of this project at the Stormont Estate in Belfast will identify suitable drill sites.
The next phase will involve the drilling and testing of five shallow exploratory boreholes. The
intention is that the results will inform the design and installation of a shallow geothermal
system on the Estate in the future.

Activities at the second site at College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE)
Greenmount Campus near Antrim will involve site investigations and geophysical surveys to
identify suitable locations for the siting of a deeper geothermal borehole as part of future
project delivery.

This project will be used to help inform the development of a policy and the regulatory
framework that supports and promotes opportunities to open up NI’s geothermal potential.

20.3.2 Projects Operational

The Southampton geothermal well has for many years been the only operational deep
geothermal project in the UK.This system is no longer operational with no plans for further
work.

An open loop GSHP has been put in operation to heat a partitioned small section of the
Jubilee Pool, a seawater lido in Penzance (Cornwall). The borehole at 400 m depth has an
inlet temperature of approximately 25ºC.

20.4 Research Highlights

The UK Geoenergy Observatories (UKGEOS) (https://www.ukgeos.ac.uk/), a £31 M project
funded by the 2014 UK Government Plan for Growth of Science and Innovation, aim to deliver
new data and learnings to better understand the underground for use in geothermal energy
and other solutions. The project comprises two research sites in Glasgow (Scotland) for mine
water geothermal, and in Cheshire (England) for research on GSHP closed- and open-loop
systems and thermal energy storage.

The Glasgow site is fully operational and open to the research community and industry. The
infrastructure includes abstraction and re-injection boreholes screened in two different mine
workings that allow multiple combinations of doublets with flow rates between 3 and 12 L/s, a
heat centre with a heat pump/chiller of 200 kW and three different heat exchangers along
with a complete array of monitoring sensors, including fibre optic distributed temperature
sensing (DTS), electrical resistivity tomography and borehole loggers for continuous
measurement of pressure, temperature and electrical conductivity (Monaghan et al., 2022a,
2022b). The Cheshire site is currently under construction. Additionally, the Cardiff Urban Geo-
Observatory is an associated site to the UKGEOS sites to provide data and insights on shallow
geothermal energy in urban areas.

A 2022 call from the Natural Environmental Research Council (NERC) Highlight Topics,
included funding for smart subsurface assessment and monitoring of urban geothermal

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resources. A project led by Imperial College London, “Smart assessment, management and
optimisation of urban geothermal resources (SmartRes)” was funded with £2.1m. Imperial
College London is also leading the project “Aquifer thermal energy storage for
decarbonisation of heating and cooling: Overcoming technical, economic and societal barriers
to UK deployment (ATESHAC)”.

The British Geological Survey, the University of Exeter, Anglia Ruskin University and
Geothermal Engineering Ltd. will take part in the European Project “Piloting Underground
Storage of Heat In geoThermal reservoirs” (PUSH-IT), led by TU-Delft (The Netherlands), a
Horizon Europe grant with research aims to demonstrate and develop large scale, high
temperature seasonal heat storage using three different technologies: Aquifer, Borehole and
Mine Thermal Energy Storage (ATES, BTES, MTES). One of the project sites, to study the
possibilities of using closed mines to store heat will be in Cornwall.

As part of the NetZeroGeoRDIE project, led by the University of Newcastle, researchers are
studying the possibilities of repurposing the Science Central borehole, drilled in 2011 to a
depth of 1821 m but with low yields, as a co-axial well that in the future could be connected to
the Helix district heat network.

20.5 Other National Activities

20.5.1 Geothermal Education
There are no specific Geothermal Degrees or Masters in the UK, but multiple universities have
geothermal modules as part of Earth Science and Energy programmes.

20.5.2 Conferences
The 2022 Mine Water Geothermal Energy Symposium organised by the BGS, Coal Authority
and IEA Geothermal took place the 16-17 March 2022 (virtual): https://iea-gia.org/workshop-
presentations/2022mine-water-geothermal-energy-symposium/. During the symposium the
formation of an IEA Geothermal Mine Water Energy Expert Group was announced (https://iea-
gia.org/areas-of-activity/geothermal-heating-and-cooling/mine-water-geothermal-energy-
group/). The group is coordinated by the British Geological Survey with inputs from industry,
universities, Government, and regulators..

The 9th London Geothermal Symposium 2022, ran over two days, on the 14 and 15th
November 2022 https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/expired/EG-9th-UK-Geothermal-Symposium.

In January 2022 the first online SPE Aberdeen Geothermal Seminar 2022 was run.
https://www.spe-aberdeen.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Geothermal-Conference-
Programme_1.1.pdf.

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20.6 Publications
The UK Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology (POST) published a briefing paper
(POST brief) on Geothermal Energy (Abesser and Walker, 2022).

A mine energy white paper supported by North East, Yorkshire and Humber, and the Midlands
BEIS (Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) Energy Hubs was published in
2022 (NELEP, 2022), and a deep geothermal white paper led by BGS is in development and
expected to be published in 2023.

In Northern Ireland, two reports commissioned by the Department of Economy and developed
by Queen’s University Belfast were published aiming to foster geothermal energy
development and to define a roadway for geothermal energy:

- Building the Geothermal Energy Sector in Northern Ireland (Palmer et al., 2022a)
- Defining the Vision for Geothermal Energy in Northern Ireland (Palmer et al., 2022b)

In addition, the BGS and Arup produced a research report also commissioned by the NI
Department of Economy “Research into the geothermal energy sector in Northern Ireland”
that reviews the different technologies and compares regulatory frameworks from other
countries.

A selected list of scientific publications of interest is included below:

• Banks, D., Steven, J., Black, A., & Naismith, J. (2022). Conceptual modelling of two
large-scale mine water geothermal energy schemes: Felling, Gateshead, UK.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(3), 1643.
• Brown, C. S., Kolo, I., Falcone, G., & Banks, D. (2022). Repurposing a Deep Geothermal
Exploration Well for Borehole Thermal Energy Storage: Implications from Statistical
Modelling and Sensitivity Analysis. Applied Thermal Engineering, 119701.
• Farndale, H., & Law, R. (2022). An Update on the United Downs Geothermal Power
Project, Cornwall, UK. In Proceedings of the 47th Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir
Engineering, Stanford, CA, USA (pp. 7-9).
• Monaghan, A. A., Starcher, V., Barron, H. F., Shorter, K., Walker-Verkuil, K., Elsome, J.,
Kearsey, T., Arkley, S., Hannis., S. & Callaghan, E. (2022a). Drilling into mines for heat:
geological synthesis of the UK Geoenergy Observatory in Glasgow and implications
for mine water heat resources. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and
Hydrogeology, 55(1).
• Monaghan AA, Bateson L, Boyce AJ, Burnside NM, Chambers R, de Rezende JR,
Dunnet E, Everett PA, Gilfillan SMV, Jibrin MS, Johnson G, Luckett R, MacAllister DJ,
MacDonald AM, Moreau JW, Newsome L, Novellino A, Palumbo-Roe B, Pereira R,
Smith D, Spence MJ, Starcher V, Taylor-Curran H, Vane CH, Wagner T and Walls DB
(2022) Time Zero for Net Zero: A Coal Mine Baseline for Decarbonising Heat. Earth
Sci. Syst. Soc. 2:10054.
• Regnier, G., Salinas, P., Jacquemyn, C., & Jackson, M. D. (2022). Numerical simulation
of aquifer thermal energy storage using surface-based geologic modelling and
dynamic mesh optimisation. Hydrogeology Journal, 30(4), 1179-1198.
• Stephenson, M. H., Manning, D. A. C., Spence, M. J., Stalker, L., Shipton, Z. K., &
Monaghan, A. A. (2022). Role of subsurface geo-energy pilot and demonstration sites
in delivering net zero. Earth Sci. Syst. Soc. 2:10045.

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20.7 References
Abesser, C. and Walker (2022). Geothermal Energy, Parliamentary Office for Science and
Technology (POST) researching briefing, POSTbrief 46.
https://post.parliament.uk/researchbriefings/post-pb-0046/

BSRIA (2022). Heat pumps market analysis 2021. United Kingdom.

EAC (2022). Technological Innovations and Climate Change: Geothermal Technologies.

Environmental Audit Committee. https://committees.parliament.uk/work/6777/technological-
innovations-and-climate-change-geothermal-technologies/

Le Feuvre & St John Cox (2009). Ground source heating and cooling pumps –state of play
and future trends. Environment Agency, Evidence Directorate.

NELEP (2022). The Case for Mine Energy – unlocking deployment at scale in the UK. A mine
energy white paper. North East LEP. https://www.northeastlep.co.uk/wp-
content/uploads/2021/05/Mine-Energy-White-Paper_FINAL.pdf

Palmer, M., Ireland, J., Ofterdinger, U., & Zhang, M. (2022a). Net Zero pathways: Building the
geothermal energy sector in Northern Ireland. NI Department for the Economy.
https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/QueensManagementSchool/FileStore/Filetoupload,1518743,en.
pdf

Palmer, M., Ireland, J., Ofterdinger, U., & Zhang, M. (2022b). #NIGeothermalWeek: Defining the
vision for geothermal energy in Northern Ireland. NI Department for the Economy.
https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/QueensManagementSchool/FileStore/Filetoupload,1518742,en.
pdf

ARUP and BGS (2022). Research into the Geothermal Energy Sector in Northern Ireland.
Geothermal Technologies and Policy Review. NI Department for the Economy.
https://www.economy-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/economy/research-into-the-
geothermal-energy-sector-in-northern-ireland.pdf

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 21. United States of America
Lauren Boyd
Geothermal Technologies Office
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy.
[email protected]

21.1 Introduction
In 2022, the United States (U.S.) remained the leader in installed geothermal capacity with
almost 4 gigawatts (GW) of electricity-generating capacity installed, representing around 24%
of the world’s total capacity. The majority of the U.S. geothermal capacity is in the states of
California and Nevada. Conventional geothermal resources are found primarily in the western
states, where broad volcanic and mountain-building activity have occurred. Eminent
geothermal provinces include portions of the San Andreas Fault running through California
from the Imperial Valley to the Golden Bay; the Basin and Range system in Nevada and Utah;
and the Cascade Range volcanism in Oregon and Washington.

As of 2022, there are more than 23 geothermal district heating and cooling systems in the
United States, 55 the oldest installation dating from 1892 (Boise, Idaho). In recent years, the
United States has seen a marked increase in the number of university and corporate
campuses, communities, and other entities considering or planning district type-scale
geothermal systems. The use of and interest in geothermal heat pumps for individual
residences and commercial buildings also continues to grow, particularly in response to the
Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act. 56

The lead federal agency in charge of advancing the U.S. geothermal sector is the U.S.
Department of Energy’s (DOE) Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO), which is supporting a
portfolio of innovative technologies advancing geothermal exploration, development, and
deployment. GTO and partners research, develop, and validate cost-competitive geothermal
technologies and tools to help make geothermal more affordable, and to locate, access, and
develop geothermal resources within the United States. Other federal agencies are also
involved in helping to expand U.S. geothermal, such as the Department of the Interior, the
Federal Energy Management Program, and the Advanced Manufacturing and Materials
Technologies Office.

21.2 GeoVision Analysis and Report

GTO's 2019 GeoVision analysis continued to serve as a guiding document for GTO’s research,
development, and demonstration (RD&D) planning in 2022.

The GeoVision analysis includes the following conclusions:

55 National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 2021 U.S. Geothermal Power Production and District Heating Market Report (July 2021).
https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy21osti/78291.pdf
56 The White House, Inflation Reduction Act Guidebook (January 2023). https://www.whitehouse.gov/cleanenergy/inflation-reduction-
act-guidebook/

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 • Optimizing permitting timelines could double geothermal electricity-generating capacity
to 13 GWe by 2050 relative to business-as-usual permitting.
• By 2050, direct use installations could increase to as many as 17,500 nationwide.
Geothermal heat pump deployment could increase to provide heating and cooling to
the equivalent of 28 million U.S. households.
• With aggressive technology improvements, geothermal electricity-generating capacity
deployment could reach 60 GWe by 2050, more than 8 percent of national capacity.

GTO plans its RD&D activities based on the office’s Multi-Year Program Plan, which outlines
priority activities through fiscal year 2026.

21.3 Enhanced Geothermal Shot™ Analysis and Report

In 2022, GTO announced the Enhanced Geothermal Shot™, a DOE-wide effort to reduce the
cost of enhanced geothermal systems by 90%, to $45 per megawatt-hour, by 2035. Analysis
illustrates that achieving this goal could allow the United States to deploy more than 90 GWe
of geothermal electricity-generating capacity by 2050. In 2023, GTO introduced a roadmap of
five technical pathways to help make the Enhanced Geothermal Shot™ vision a reality.

21.4 2022 Geothermal Electricity and Direct-Use Data

Data in the table is for the USA for the 2022 calendar year.

Electricity 57 Direct Use

Total Installed Capacity

Total Installed Capacity (MWe) 3,965 MWe
(GWth) 20.7 GWth 58

New Installed Capacity

New Installed Capacity (MWe) 134 MWe N/A
(MWth)
Net Summer =
2,648.6 MWe Total Energy Used
Total Running Capacity (MWe) 42,447 GWh
Net Winter = (GWh/yr)
3,093 MWe
Contribution to National Capacity 0.26 (winter) Total Installed Capacity
20.2 GWth 59
(%) 0.23 (summer) Heat Pumps (GWth)
Total Generation (GWh) 17 TWh 60 N/A 61
Contribution to National
0.40 62
Generation (%)

57 Form EIA 860, U.S. Energy Information Administration 2022.

58 Direct Utilization of Geothermal Energy 2020 Worldwide Review, Lund and Toth 2021. World Geothermal
Congress 2020+1. Total installed capacity includes heat pumps and is the most recent data available.
59 Direct Utilization of Geothermal Energy 2020 Worldwide Review, Lund and Toth 2021. World Geothermal Congress
2020+1.
60 U.S. Energy Information Administration “Electric Power Annual 2022 (net generation by type of renewable source).”
U.S. Energy Information Administration. 2022.
61 N/A recent data not available.
62 Calculated using data from U.S. Energy Information Administration “Electric Power Annual 2022 (net generation by
type of renewable source).” U.S. Energy Information Administration. 2022. Total 2022 U.S. generation from utility-scale
generators was 4,243 TWh.

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 Estimated Heat Pump 231 GWth by
Target (GWe) 90 63
Potential (GWth) 2050 64
Estimated Country Potential (GWe) ~530 GWe 65

21.5 Geothermal Project Development

GTO in partnership with other federal agencies, industry, academia, DOE’s national
laboratories, and other stakeholders works to increase deployment of geothermal energy
resources through research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) targeting geothermal
exploration and production. GTO focuses on accelerating innovation and expanding
opportunities across the geothermal resource spectrum, with work in four program areas:

• Enhanced geothermal systems (EGS);

• Hydrothermal resources;
• Low-temperature and coproduced resources; and
• Data, modelling, and analysis.

21.5.1 2022 Project Highlights

Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy

GTO’s Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE), Milford, Utah,
continued its history of ground-breaking work in 2022. Led by the University of Utah, FORGE
is a dedicated underground field laboratory for developing, testing, and accelerating
breakthroughs in EGS technologies to expand the use of geothermal resources. FORGE
supports GTO’s vision for widespread EGS deployment by serving as a laboratory where
scientists and researchers can learn how to reproducibly engineer these systems. Through
work performed at FORGE, the geothermal community is gaining fundamental understanding
of the key mechanisms to enable EGS.

In 2021, the FORGE team completed drilling its first highly deviated deep well; in 2022, the
team successfully conducted and monitored a three-stage hydraulic stimulation in that well.
The stimulation reactivated the existing fracture network and potentially generated new
fractures—providing the basis of an EGS reservoir. The team will use data from the stimulation
to help locate the most promising fractures, allowing them to target and plan the producer
well to be drilled in 2023.

Also in 2022, FORGE released its second research and development (R&D) solicitation (2022-
2), which will provide up to $44 million for new and innovative EGS tools and techniques that
support reservoir characterization, creation, and sustainability. The solicitation requested
projects to research five topic areas:

• Topic 6: Adaptive Induced Seismicity Monitoring Protocols

63 Enhanced Geothermal Shot Analysis for the Geothermal Technologies Office, Augustine et al., 2023.
10GeoVision Analysis Supporting Task Force Report: Thermal Applications—Geothermal Heat Pumps, Lui et al., 2019.
Data represent market potential as described in the analysis.65 Estimated total for 30 GWe undiscovered
hydrothermal resources per the United States Geologic Survey plus an estimated 500 GWe EGS potential per the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
65 Estimated total for 30 GWe undiscovered hydrothermal resources per the United States Geologic Survey plus an
estimated 500 GWe EGS potential per the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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 • Topic 7: Alternative Stimulation Schemes
• Topic 8: Field Scale Experiments to Measure Heat-Sweep Efficiency
• Topic 9: High Temperature Proppants
• Topic 10: Multiset Straddle Packers for Open Hole Operations.

Selections are expected to be made in late 2023.

Wells of Opportunity: ReAmplify

In 2021, GTO released a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to support active field
testing of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) technologies and techniques within existing
wells.

In 2022 four projects were selected to receive up to $8.4 million under the FOA, in the Wells
of Opportunity: ReAmplify initiative. These projects will evaluate opportunities to establish
commercial viability of geothermal energy production from existing hydrocarbon wells. The
selected projects are:

• Geothermix, LLC: Will evaluate thermoelectric power generation from existing oilfields
in the Austin Chalk, Texas
• Ice Thermal Harvesting: Will characterize 11 wells to evaluate thermal energy available
for harvesting from produced fluids from the Elk Hills field near Bakersfield, California
• Transitional Energy: Aims to generate at least 1 megawatt (MW) from existing oil and gas
wells through a pilot that will provide a roadmap for co-production and oil field transition
• University of Oklahoma: Will evaluate and demonstrate the viability of geothermal
production (producing minimum 1 MW) from an Oklahoma hydrocarbon field.

Geothermal Energy from Oil and Gas

In 2022, GTO released a FOA to leverage the skills and expertise of the oil and gas industry to
advance geothermal energy. The Geothermal Energy from Oil and Gas Demonstrated
Engineering (GEODE) initiative will fund a consortium of experts to develop a roadmap for
addressing technology and knowledge gaps in geothermal energy, based on best practices
used within the oil and gas industry. After development of the roadmap the consortium will
issue competitive solicitations to conduct research in four focus areas:

• Technology transfer,
• Demonstration and deployment,
• Barriers, and
• Workforce.

Drilling Demonstrations

In January 2022, GTO announced up to $20 million in funding to support field demonstrations
that show measurable improvements in drilling time and lead to reduced geothermal well
costs. The Drilling Demonstrations FOA focused on innovative efficiency improvements that
can be applied to geothermal drilling in real-world settings, leading to field-implementable
solutions that increase average daily drilling penetration rates in geothermal wells. GTO
selected two projects in December 2022: one that will drill twin high-temperature geothermal

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wells in the Denver-Julesberg Basin in Colorado, and one that will deploy innovative drilling
technology and methodologies in The Geysers Geothermal Field, California.

Hidden Geothermal Systems

GTO’s work in hidden systems exploration seeks to accelerate discoveries of new,

commercially viable hidden geothermal systems. Work in this area spans multiple methods,
including play fairway analysis, machine learning, advanced geostatistics, and conductive
surveys. These projects are helping GTO gather important data on potential geothermal
resources and prospects throughout the U.S. West—which is important to assist developers
reduce risk in considering project opportunities. These projects make their data publicly
available in the Geothermal Data Repository (GDR).

The INnovative Geothermal Exploration through Novel Investigations Of Undiscovered

Systems (INGENIOUS) builds on and expands GTO’s geothermal play fairway efforts in the
Great Basin region. The goal is to help facilitate early-stage geothermal prospect
identification, including moving several blind prospects forward with geological and
geophysical analyses. The team did extensive work in 2022 on initial exploration drilling, as
well as data collection and compilation. Data from the project in GDR includes temperature
data, electrical conductance, heat flow, and geophysical maps.

In GTO’s Geoscience Data Acquisition for Western Nevada (GeoDAWN) and GeoFlight
projects GTO is partnered with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Earth Mapping Resources
Initiative and its 3D Elevation Program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources
Conservation Services, and the Bureau of Land Management undertake airborne geophysical
and 3DEP lidar surveys over parts of Nevada and California. In 2022, the team completed data
collection. In GTO’s Basin & Range Investigations for Developing Geothermal Energy (BRIDGE)
project. the team is working to find hidden geothermal systems in west-central Nevada.

Federal Geothermal Partnerships

In 2022, GTO launched the Federal Geothermal Partnerships (FedGeo) initiative to provide
technical assistance for geothermal energy deployment at federal sites. The office selected
Oak Ridge National Laboratory to receive up to $6 million to lead the initiative, which partners
GTO with the Federal Energy Management Program to help expand geothermal heating and
cooling at federal sites nationwide. FedGeo will demonstrate the benefits and potential of
geothermal technology and help the federal government lead by example in decarbonizing
buildings. It will also help reduce or replace electricity demand, offset peak loads to the grid,
and add resiliency and security to local energy systems.

Community Geothermal Heating and Cooling

GTO’s Community Geothermal Heating and Cooling Design and Deployment Funding
Opportunity Announcement (FOA), released in 2022, will select projects to help communities
design and deploy geothermal district heating and cooling systems, create related workforce
training, and identify and address environmental justice concerns. Projects supported under
this FOA will expand community-scale geothermal by supporting new systems and developing
case studies to be replicated throughout the country; support formation of U.S.-based
community coalitions that will develop, design, and install community geothermal heating and

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cooling systems that supply at least 25% of the heating and cooling load in communities; and
advance GTO’s objectives to realize the potential of community-scale geothermal heating and
cooling nationwide. Eligible applications also need to demonstrate that switching to
geothermal district heating and cooling system would result in greenhouse gas emission
reductions for the community in which the system is installed. FOA selections will occur in
2023.

Prizes

Launched in 2020 as the first geothermal-focused prize in the American-Made Challenges

prize program, the Geothermal Manufacturing Prize was a $4.65 million competition designed
to spur innovation and address manufacturing challenges related to operating in harsh
geothermal environments. The goal was to harness additive manufacturing to improve
geothermal tool design, fabrication, and functionality, and encourage innovators to discover
new advanced manufacturing solutions. Over the two-and-a-half-year prize period, innovators
from across the country worked on their technologies, earning cash prizes and other
incentives along the way. GTO announced winners for the prize at the August 2022
Geothermal Rising Conference, with two teams from Houston, TX, awarded $500,000.

Also in 2022, GTO announced finalists in the $4 million Geothermal Lithium Extraction Prize.
This prize focused on advancing the development of domestic, cost-competitive sources of
lithium, particularly around Southern California’s Salton Sea. This area has the potential to
produce significant amounts of domestic lithium and support a robust supply chain that turns
the United States into a leading lithium exporter. Each prize finalist received $280,000 and
will compete in the third and final phase of the competition.

21.6 Research Priorities

Using the 2019 GeoVision analysis roadmap as a guide, GTO established a key priority for the
next 8–10 years: To demonstrate geothermal energy’s value as the baseload renewable of the
future in the United States.

In 2022, GTO released a Multi-Year Program Plan (MYPP) to outline research pathways to
reach this overarching priority. The MYPP outlines GTO’s technology plan from fiscal year
2022 through 2026, centered on three strategic goals to: expand geothermal deployment,
help decarbonize the economy, and advance environmental and social justice. The plan
focuses on six primary Research Areas that cut across GTO’s structure, including challenges
and barriers:
• Exploration and Characterization
• Subsurface Accessibility
• Subsurface Enhancement and Sustainability
• Resource Maximization
• Data, Modeling, and Analysis
• Geothermal Integration and Awareness

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21.7 Geothermal Education
In GTO’s 2022 Geothermal Collegiate Competition (GCC), student teams designed district-use
geothermal systems and geothermal curriculums for local schools, partnering with local
communities through stakeholder events. The competition drew outstanding entries from
student teams across the United States. The goal of the GCC is to provide students with an
on-ramp into renewable energy, experience in the industry sector, and opportunities to
engage with established industry professionals as well as their local communities.

The Sooners Geothermal Team from the University of Oklahoma earned first place, and $10k,
for designing a system to repurpose six abandoned oil and gas wells in Shawnee, Oklahoma,
to provide clean, renewable geothermal energy for more than 730,000 square feet of
educational and municipal buildings. The project included sites within the Absentee Shawnee
Tribe and Potawatomi Nation jurisdiction.. The University of North Dakota and Reykjavik
University earned second place and $5k for their design of a combined geothermal heat and
power system for the city of New Town, North Dakota, located on the Fort Berthold Indian
Reservation, home to the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation. The University of Colorado-
Boulder took third place and a $2.5k prize for their design of a geothermal ground source
heat pump for a local non-profit that provides a range of support to young people from under-
resourced communities. As part of their stakeholder engagement, the team led a series of
geothermal educational lessons.

21.8 Conferences
GTO Acting Director Lauren Boyd, GTO staff, and GTO-funded principal investigators
participated in Stanford University’s 48th geothermal workshop. This annual conference
convenes engineers, scientists, and industry involved in geothermal reservoir studies and
developments; provides a forum for exchanging ideas on the exploration, development, and
use of geothermal resources; and enables timely and open reporting of progress. The 2022
event was in person for the first time since 2020.

GTO provided a keynote plenary and led or participated in multiple technical sessions at the
2022 Geothermal Rising Conference, the largest annual geothermal event convening
industry, academia, government, and the public. GTO also hosted a booth with educational
information, geothermal giveaways, and opportunities to meet with GTO staff and researchers.

GTO continues to expand outreach and stakeholder engagement by presenting R&D

overviews or participating in various events. In 2022, this included the American Association
of State Geologists Annual Meeting, the American Rock Mechanics Association Symposium,
the International District Energy Association Annual Conference, and the International Ground
Source Heat Pump Association Annual Conference.

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21.9 Useful Websites
Department of Energy Sites
DOE: energy.gov
DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy: energy.gov/eere/office-energy-
efficiency-renewable-energy
DOE’s Grid Modernization Initiative: energy.gov/grid-modernization-initiative
FORGE: energy.gov/eere/geothermal/forge
Enhanced Geothermal Shot™: energy.gov/eere/geothermal/enhanced-geothermal-shot
GTO: energy.gov/eere/geothermal
GTO’s GeoVision analysis and report: energy.gov/geovision

Useful External Sites

American Geophysical Union: www.agu.org
Geothermal Rising: www.geothermal.org
U.S. Geological Survey - Geothermal Publications: www.usgs.gov/search?keywords=geothermal

21.10 Future Activities for 2023

Community Geothermal Heating and Cooling Design and Deployment – In 2023, GTO
intends to select projects across a variety of geographic coalitions to implement community-
scale geothermal heating and cooling systems, develop related workforce training, and
advance environmental justice objectives.

Drilling Demonstrations – In 2023, GTO anticipates the start of projects to demonstrate

technology-driven reductions in drilling time and costs.

Energy Storage – GTO will continue supporting geothermal thermal energy storage research,
including geothermal applications and conditions suitable for subsurface storage.

Federal Geothermal Partnerships – GTO, FEMP, and the technical assistance team, led by
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will continue work to help federal agencies consider
geothermal energy to heat/cool their installations. The initiative will select initial sites and fund
feasibility and characterization activities in 2023.

FORGE – In 2023, GTO will continue its support to FORGE and projects that will be selected
in 2023 under Solicitation 2022-2. This support will take advantage of the momentum at the
FORGE site and provide additional technological progress toward ensuring EGS viability in the
commercial space.

Geothermal Energy from Demonstrated Oil and gas Engineering (GEODE) – In 2023, GTO
is expected to select the entities that will lead the GEODE consortium leveraging oil and gas
subsurface assets, technologies, and expertise to address barriers to expanding geothermal
energy deployment.

Geothermal Lithium Extraction Prize – Launched in early 2021, this $4 million prize
competition seeks to advance technologies that improve the economics and lessen

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environmental impacts of lithium mining from geothermal brines. GTO expects to announce
prize winners in 2023.

Machine Learning – GTO will continue research to apply machine learning techniques to
geological, geophysical, geochemical, borehole, and other relevant datasets, with the goal of
finding new resources and improving operations.

Wells of Opportunity – GTO will continue to invest in near-field EGS demonstration projects
and projects to help establish commercial viability of geothermal energy production from
existing hydrocarbon fields.

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Appendix 1 – IEA Geothermal Executive Committee

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Appendix 2 - IEA Geothermal Members and Alternates

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Appendix 3 - IEA Geothermal Working Group Leaders

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