EU leaders urged to strengthen ambitions of the Geothermal Action Plan
EU flags, Brussels/ Belgium (source: flickr/ Ingvar_Sverrisson, creative commons)
Carlo Cariaga
10 Apr 2026
EGEC, along with more than 60 organizations, investors, and think tanks are urging EU leaders to strengthen the soon-to-be-published Geothermal Action Plan.
A letter signed by more than 60 businesses, investors, think tanks, and civil society organizations urges leaders of the European Commission to maximize the opportunity for geothermal, including next-generation geothermal technologies for heating and power generation.
The letter was published in the context of the much-anticipated publication of the European Geothermal Action Plan on May 2026. The risk, as the letter points out, is that the plan focuses too narrowly on heat which lead to Europe missing out on the geothermal revolution. The letter was sent by the European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC) in partnership with Cleantech for Europe and Future Cleantech Architects.
Click here to read the full letter: “Open Letter: Europe Risks Missing the Geothermal Evolution.”
To set up the Geothermal Action Plan as a real investment catalysts that conveys clear political prioritization for heat and power generation, the following measures are proposed:
- Announcing a dedicated EU geothermal de-risking facility for early-stage exploration and drilling, including first-of-a-kind projects.
- Setting up bankable long-term revenue frameworks, including two-ways CfDs, clean firm heat and power auctions, and support for corporate PPAs and heat purchase agreements.
- Accelerating permitting through streamlined and time-bound procedures, clear guidance to Member States, and strengthened public engagement, alongside the establishment of an EU-wide atlas for subsurface data.
- Creating a European Geothermal Industry Alliance to fast-track the scale-up of the geothermal industry.
Calls for a European Geothermal Strategy date as far back as 2024. The most recent letter states that the United States is already deploying significant public funding to support first-of-a-kind geothermal projects, and that China is massively scaling geothermal deployment. Europe is already a world leader in geothermal technologies and has the skills needed for a geothermal revolution. However, insufficient political support risks Europe missing out on another strategic window to scale the geothermal sector.
Source: EGEC
