Activities of Marina MESURE related to 2023/2111(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Geothermal energy (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on geothermal energy
Amendments (36)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 a (new)
Citation 1 a (new)
– having regard to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the Union, particularly Articles 31 and 37 thereof,
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the majority of heat produced for the residential sector in the Union comes from fossil fuels;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas geothermal energy enables the production of renewable, local, constant and low-cost energy, thus contributing to the continent's energy sovereignty, the green transition, industrial competitiveness and the defence of the standard of living of European citizens;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas the energy price crisis and Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine demonstrate the need to strengthen our energy sovereignty and the rationale of long-term investment as opposed to the short-term profitability of certain resources such as gas, so as to protect the interests of the citizens of the European Union as a whole and the sound economic health of the continent;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas geothermal energy makes it possible to offer energy at costs which remain constant in a context of increasingly volatile energy prices, and thus contributes to price stability;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Expresses regret that the deployment of geothermal energy is still too low due to limited public support for the sector and the inherent heavy investment; therefore calls for long-term support policies and public planning for the sector;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 1 a (new)
Subheading 1 a (new)
Stresses that the development of geothermal energy has been held back by market logic, which has favoured investment in infrastructure that is financially profitable in the short term, whereas strategic planning by the public sector would have made it possible to speed up the deployment of geothermal energy, taking into account long-term considerations such as strengthening European sovereignty, lowering energy costs in the long term and reducing the environmental impact of energy production;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Points out that managing the development of geothermal energy as part of a public energy service would enable these objectives to be met more effectively;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes the development of geothermal beyond power generation and heating and cooling; stresses that the process of extracting lithium from geothermal brines could help secure a sustainable and local lithium supplyand other raw materials essential to the green transition from geothermal brines could make it possible to extract them from the subsoil with less environmental impact than conventional mining;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Draws attention to geothermal solutions that are able to store excess wind and solar power, particularly in summer, for subsequent use in heating, cooling and power production, and their crucial role for the development of renewable-based energy systems by recharging the soil, thereby returning heat to the soil that was used to produce it during the winter;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Points out that the Member States do not all have the same potential for developing geothermal energy, nor the same resources to do so; calls, therefore, for the coordinated development of geothermal energy throughout the EU, with a view to building solidarity through the sharing of knowledge and best practice between Member States;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Points out that deep geothermal energy requires substantial initial investment and that, particularly in certain areas, there is a high risk that the boreholes will not be as exploitable as expected, and that the development of geothermal energy should therefore be supported by geological risk guarantee funds to which private contributions and public funds would be added in order to cover the lion's share of the cost of drilling operations in the event that the resource is not found;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Stresses that this support must be accompanied by strict measures to regulate the price of geothermal heat and electricity in order to ensure visibility for investors and a selling price for end consumers that reflects production costs; stresses that this public support must go hand in hand with making the data collected during drilling available to the public within a year;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Expresses regret, however, that public support for the geothermal sector varies according to the costs of other energy sources such as natural gas, whereas the inherent characteristics of geothermal energy, due to the high level of investment, require long-term public support to bolster the sector;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Stresses the need to share best practices in the field of geothermal energy, not only between Member States but also with third countries that have developed deep and surface geothermal energy on a larger scale; notes that an internationally recognised European geothermal industry would also be an effective way of exporting our know-how to bolster the continent's economic development and combat global warming; calls for these technologies to be made available free of charge to states in the Global South, especially since geothermal energy cannot be exported;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 c (new)
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7c. Points out that the biggest obstacle to geothermal energy is the need to recover a substantial initial investment, coupled with the risk that drilling will not produce a fully exploitable energy source; calls, to this end, for the State aid rules applicable to geothermal energy to be rendered more flexible in order to speed up public support measures for the sector;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 d (new)
Paragraph 7 d (new)
7d. Stresses the need to strengthen the role of the public sector in the exploitation of Europe's subsoil in order to take greater account of the highly strategic dimension of the mining and geothermal industries and to limit the potential negative impacts of their exploitation; considers that the creation of a public service for mining and geothermal exploitation would enable optimal development of these sectors;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 e (new)
Paragraph 7 e (new)
7e. Calls on the Commission to involve all stakeholders in the geothermal sector, in particular underground research centres, trade unions and local councillors, in drawing up a roadmap for the development of the sector in Europe in order to implement a geothermal energy policy that respects the environment and ensures optimum working conditions for workers;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Urges the Member States to explore methods of collecting different types of geological data from public and private entities with a view to organising, systematising and making it available to the public; notes that this should be achieved in compliance with confidentiality requirements and data protection rules, and, where necessary, include incentives and compensation for data sharing by private entities;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Stresses that subsurface characteristics need to be better understood to unlock the continent’s full geothermal and mining potential with a view to strengthening European sovereignty; calls, therefore, for all data obtained from the exploitation of subsurface resources to be made public within one year so that Europe’s subsurface can be mapped out in full; stresses that geothermal and other forms of exploitation, including public works and mining, must be used as levers to map our subsurface;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Is concerned by the chronic lack of investment by Member States in bodies researching the subsurface; calls on the Member States to better pay those working in the geothermal sector to boost the attractiveness of the professions and thus meet the industry’s staffing needs, in both the public and private sectors;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Reiterates that uncertainty about subsurface resources makes it challenging to secure project funding; calls on the Member States to explore de-risking solutions appropriate to the maturity of their local markets (grants, loans that are convertible to grants, state-backed guarantees), as well as the potential benefits of an EU-wide risk mitigation scheme, to support existing national programmes that already cover a substantial amount of the risks; calls for these risk-mitigation mechanisms to not only be financed by public funds but also by contributions from the private sector, and oil sector in particular, which could benefit from this mechanism to develop geothermal energy, given its geological and drilling expertise;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Expresses concern that while geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) are currently the most efficient heat pumps, producing more heat for less electricity in cold climates compared to air source heat pumps, their much higher upfront drilling and installation costs tend to discourage their selection; calls on the Member States to explore possible financial incentives for households to bridge this gap;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Points out the geothermal sector’s potential, especially for heat production, in rural areas for farming; notes that the agricultural sector is suffering from the sharp rise in energy prices and that increased support for geothermal energy in rural areas would strengthen European agricultural policy and the continent’s food sovereignty;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Calls on the Commission to develop cross-border cooperation in the field of geothermal energy to ensure that this energy source is exploited where administrative borders hinder the development of geothermal exploitation; calls, furthermore, on the Commission to continue supporting transnational mapping and geological modelling projects that will facilitate geothermal development;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Notes that the requirements of mining laws designed for large-scale mining projects are difficult to uphold in much smaller-scale geothermal projects; calls on the Member States to review and simplify existing mining laws, where necessaryile strengthening measures to protect the environment and the safety of workers in the sector, or to develop dedicated permitting rules for geothermal; asks the Commission to provide guidelines to ensure the requisite level of coherence;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Is concerned by the lack of financial resources and staff in the services responsible for examining applications for geothermal exploitation in certain Member States; recalls that procedures must not be accelerated at the expense of environmental and seismological project requirements and to this end calls for future geothermal sector legislation to require Member States to better equip the services tasked with examining subsurface exploitation projects;
Amendment 219 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Notes that permits for geothermal installations must be made extensible to cover the extraction of lithiumstrategic raw materials or the production of hydrogen from existing capacity under the same lease; underlines the need to take a holistic approach to developing geothermal to improve geothermal and mining knowledge and exploitation in the context of Europe’s green transition and reindustrialisation;
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Calls on the Commission to bring about the harmonisation of geothermal sector requirements from the top down to protect workers in the sector from the risks associated with geothermal energy, in particular radioactive deposits and gas emissions from wells;
Amendment 244 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Calls on the Member States to launch a training programme for deep and shallow geothermal energy professions to ensure the sector’s needs are met quickly;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Notes that many of these projects are implemented by the hydrocarbon industry, which sees them as an opportunity to be part of the energy transition, and that there is a need for the even stronger involvement of this industrythe hydrocarbon industry is involved in exploring the potential for geothermal; stresses that early assessment of resources, when the mines are still accessible, ensures the more efficient development of their alternative use;
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Stresses the need, with a view to ensuring a fair transition, to offer fossil fuel industry workers the opportunity to undergo training to meet the needs of the sectors involved in the green transition, in particular for geothermal, which shares many common points with oil and gas exploitation;
Amendment 280 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Recalls that many of the EU’s outermost regions rely heavily on fossil fuels to produce electricity; recalls that many of these regions are located in volcanic areas with great potential to produce electricity from geothermal resources; stresses that it is essential to offer technical and financial support for geothermal in the outermost regions to limit their greenhouse gas emissions and reduce their dependence on fuel imports;
Amendment 292 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Notes that public resistance remains a challenge for geothermal projects, particularly on the basis of environmental concerns such as the possible contamination of ground waters, gas emissions or water over-exploitation; expresses the opinion that maintaining high environmental, seismological and transparency standards can serve as an efficient way of overcoming distrustis an indispensable condition for public support for geothermal;
Amendment 297 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Recalls that limits on the sale prices for geothermal energy must be imposed to help reduce energy bills, which are deeply affecting European households’ living standards and the competitiveness of the continent’s industry; stresses, in this regard, that as an affordable energy source, geothermal could be met with public support if it really helps lower their energy expenditures;
Amendment 302 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)
Paragraph 25 b (new)
25b. Recalls that the mitigation of risks, particular seismological risks, must be a central part of the deep geothermal exploitation strategy; calls, therefore, on the Member States and the EU to bring on sufficiently well-funded examination and prospecting teams to study the subsurface and thus better prevent the risks associated with geothermal energy;