On 18 January the European Parliament’s Plenary voted on a resolution, led by professor Krasnodebski MEP from the European Conservatives & Reformist Group (ECR), to support a European geothermal energy strategy.
531 of the 533 Members of the European parliament present (96%) voted in favour of the resolution which resolution calls for:
- A European strategy for geothermal energy to reduce administrative burdens and aid investments in buildings, industry and agricultural sectors across the Union.;
- A Geothermal Industrial Alliance to fast-track best practices and the effective implementation of legislation;
- A harmonised financial risk mitigation insurance scheme;
- Encouragement for Member States to design national strategies for geothermal similar to those of the French, German, Polish, Austrian, Croatian and Irish governments;
- Support regions in transition and coal regions to transition to geothermal.
Philippe Dumas, secretary general of the European Geothermal Energy Council, said, “The European Parliament has put geothermal energy firmly on the EU policy radar. The European Commission cannot ignore such a powerful endorsement. We warmly thank the leadership of professor Krasnodebski, his team, and the shadows on the resolution for their desire to make the energy transition affordable and accessible to everyone,” he added.
During the Plenary debate held on 17 January, Didier Reynders, commissioner for Justice, stated that the consensus among all political groups during the debate before the vote was “remarkable” and added that geothermal district heating “can provide affordable energy to cities” to facilitate mass transition to renewables.
On the lack of political visibility for geothermal energy, professor Krasnodebski MEP stated that he was “Delighted this debate and this report are part of this promotion campaign for geothermal”.
Image courtesy of Steven Lek / Wikimedia
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