On Heat Transition & Geothermal Energy Opportunities

GEOTHERMICA Initiative, CETPartnership TRI4Heating & Cooling, Geothermal IWG, EEA Grants, Geological Survey of Slovenia,  and the Ministry of Environment, Climate & Energy of Slovenia organized a Roundtable on the Heat Transition & Geothermal Energy Opportunities in Ptuj, Slovenia on 12 December.

Speakers introduced strategies and policies on geothermal energy of several member states and the EU; public cooperation on the heat transition; and geothermal projects and success stories. Discussions focused on opportunities and challenges on realising the potential of geothermal energy in the region.

Around 40 participants attended in-person and 11 online from 14 countries (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United States), that represented industry, member states, the European Commission, and the research community. Key takeaways from the discussion include:

♨️ Implementing geothermal projects is a significant step towards achieving energy independence and reducing reliance on traditional sources.

♨️ Geothermal projects create employment opportunities, fostering economic growth in local communities.

♨️ Local municipalities stand to gain from support and education programs, enlightening communities about geothermal energy's benefits and diverse applications.

♨️Championing favourable local laws and policies is imperative to foster an environment supportive of developing geothermal projects.

♨️ Collaborating internationally accelerates local processes, fostering a collective effort towards a more sustainable energy landscape.

Roundtable Proceedings can be found here .

Below you can find the agenda and available presentations hyperlinked to speakers:

Opening Remarks

- Gregor Rome, Undersecretary Directorate for Energy, Ministry of the Environment, Climate & Energy of Slovenia
- Hjalti Páll Ingólfsson, Lead GEOTHERMICA Initiative Office, CETPartnership TRI4 Office, & Geothermal IWG Office

INTRODUCTION TO ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS

- Matthieu Ballu, Policy officer, European Commission DG ENER
EU Policy & Geothermal Energy
- Philippe Dumas, Secretary General, European Geothermal Energy Council
Prospects of Geothermal Energy in Europe
- Stephan Schreiber, Co-Chair Geothermal IWG & GEOTHERMICA Initiative

COUNTRY UPDATES: STRATEGIES & POLICIES ON GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

- Gregor Rome, Undersecretary Directorate for Energy, Ministry of the Environment, Climate & Energy of Slovenia
Slovenia: Strategies & Policies on Geothermal Energy
- Stephan Schreiber, Co-Chair Geothermal IWG & GEOTHERMICA Initiative
Germany: Strategies & Policies on Geothermal Energy
- Imre Szilagyi, Geo-Energy Advisor, Ministry of Energy of Hungary
Hungary: Strategies & Policies on Geothermal Energy
- Stefano Benato, Geoenergy Research Program Leader (external), Swiss Federal Office of Energy
Switzerland: Strategies & Policies on Geothermal Energy
- Philippe Laplaige, Geothermal Expert, ADEME
France: Strategies & Policies on Geothermal Energy
- Martina Tuschl, Director of Geothermal Energy Sector, Croation Hydrocarbon Agency
Croatia: Strategies & Policies on Geothermal Energy

PANEL DISCUSSIONS: STRATEGIES FOR HEAT TRANSITION & GEOTHERMAL OPPORTUNITIES Moderators: Paul Ramšak & Lauren Boyd

PUBLIC COOPERATION SUPPORTING GEOTHERMAL ENERGY &
HEAT TRANSITION

- Gerdi Breembroek, Chair Geothermal IWG
Geothermal IWG
- Alicja Wiktoria Stoklosa, Office Manager TRI4 Heating & Cooling
CETPartnership TRI4 Heating & Cooling
- María Guðmundsdóttir, Project Manager Geothermal Resources, National Energy Authority of Iceland
EEA Grants
- Lauren Boyd, Co-Chair GEOTHERMICA Initiative

GEOTHERMICA Initiative

PROJECTS & SUCCESS STORIES ON GEOTHERMAL & HEAT TRANSITION

- Nóra E. Gál, Hydrogeologist, Geological Survey of Hungary SARA
Projects in Hungary
- Rúnar Þór Jónsson, Regional Managing Director, Arctic Green Energy
Arctic Green Energy Projects
- Bernhard Novotny, Head of Geothermal Projects, OMV

Deep Geothermal Energy for Decarbonizing the City of Vienna
- María Guðmundsdóttir, Project Manager Geothermal Resources, National Energy Authority Iceland
KeyGeothermal
- Staša Borović, Senior Research Associate, Croatian Geological Survey
Multidisciplinary approach to conceptual modelling of hydrothermal systems in Croatia (HyTheC project)
- Ferid Seyidov, Lead R&D Engineer, Vulcan Energy Engineering
Deep Geothermal Plants in Germany
- Matej Prkič, Director, Geogreen
Geothermal Projects in Slovenia

PANEL DISCUSSIONS: REGIONAL SOLUTIONS FOR HEATING TRANSITION

- Moderators: Nina Rman & Andrej Lapanje

CONCLUSION AND SUMMARY

- Paul Ramsak, Co-Chair GEOTHERMICA Initiative