Germany publishes new draft for proposed Geothermal Energy Acceleration Act
Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, Germany (source: flickr/ Nigel's Europe, creative commons)
Carlo Cariaga
23 Jul 2025
Germany has published a new draft for a proposed Geothermal Energy Acceleration Act which expands upon measures to facilitate exploration and approvals.
The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) of Germany has published a new draft bill for the Geothermal Energy Acceleration Act (GeoBG) which will be the country’s first-ever geothermal energy law. The Ministry opened a public comment period on the draft, drawing responses from various associated organizations. With the deadline for comments now over, the organizations have released official statements reflecting their stance on the draft law.
Compared to the draft of the previous coalition government, then called the GeoWG, the new GeoBG draft includes provisions to facilitate seismic measurements along paved roads, allowing for more measurements per year. The draft also proposes faster approval procedures through fixed deadlines and digital processes, and a legal clarification of the overriding public interest of geothermal.
The German Geothermal Association (BVG) expressed their support for the draft law, praising it in many respects while also providing inputs for how it can be improved. Specifically, the current draft does not provide for any simplifications in the review of project sites with regard to their suitability for a nuclear repository. Until now, even for small facilities such as those in single-family homes, drilling at depths of 100 meters or more requires an assessment of whether a repository is feasible at that location.
“That doesn’t make sense, because repositories are only technically feasible at depths of 300 or even 400 meters. Therefore, we continue to consider shifting this limit important and hope for improvements in this area in the further legislative process,” said Gregor Dilger, Managing Director of BVG.
“With this draft, the federal government recognizes the urgency of expanding renewable technologies for the heat transition. In particular, the proposed classification of infrastructure projects as projects of overriding public interest is a key step toward closing existing legal loopholes,” said Dr. Simone Peter, the President of the German Renewable Energy Association (BEE). “This will significantly shorten lengthy approval procedures and accelerate expansion. This sends a positive message not only to industry, project developers, and municipalities, but also to all consumers.”
The German Association of the Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) considers the draft law as a sound basis for the expansion of geothermal as climate-neutral heat supply, citing many of its positive aspects. However, the association calls for widening the scope of application and definitions in the draft to include all relevant types of systems, such as smaller heating and storage systems.
The BVG further calls for measures to ensure equal treatment with other forms of energy, such as wind energy, and thus the full implementation of EU directives. Among other things, the preferential building regulations in open areas and the provision of public spaces through the Geothermal Energy Acceleration Act are to be addressed. Likewise, the German Geothermal Association is calling for the designation of acceleration areas for all forms of geothermal energy to ensure the full implementation of the Renewable Energy Directive – similar to wind energy.
“Geothermal energy can make a key contribution to climate protection, long-term stable energy prices, and security of supply. Geothermal energy is available everywhere and at any time. No fuels need to be imported for its use, nor do their supply routes need to be secured. And technologically, we in Germany have all the expertise in-house,” concluded Dilger.
Source: Bundesverband Geothermie, Bundesverband Erneuerbare Energie, and Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft
