EGEC welcomes the European Commission’s proposals for a Critical Raw Materials Act and the Net Zero Industry Act. It is vital to strengthen existing European industrial value-chains for geothermal energy to meet the rapid demand driven by consumers and EU policy.
The Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA) supports the manufacture of essential renewables energies and gives specific attention to geothermal. Dedicated measures are outlined to ramp up investment in production facilities and processes, fast-tracking regulations related to permitting and one-stop-shops, as well as “critical energy infrastructure” such as geothermal district heating systems.
“We welcome the political recognition given to geothermal energy and look forward an EU geothermal action plan,” said Philippe Dumas, Secretary General of the European Geothermal Energy Council. The Critical Raw Material Act (CRM) provides outlines essential measures to rapidly scale-up investment in geothermal capacity. It includes instruments to reduce the risk of new geothermal energy and lithium capacity; empowers geological assessments of heat reservoirs and basins for geothermal lithium and other raw materials; and outlines fast-track permitting processes to bring this essential capacity online quickly.
“The CRM Act makes geothermal energy and lithium the bedrocks of the Europe’s industrial policy,” said Sanjeev Kumar, Head of Policy at the European Geothermal Energy Council.
