43 Amendments of Angelika NIEBLER related to 2023/2111(INI)
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 a (new)
Citation 5 a (new)
– having regard to the Commission proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on Amending Regulations (EU) 2019/943 and (EU) 2019/942 as well as Directives (EU) 2018/2001 and (EU) 2019/944 to improve the Union’s electricity market design1a, _________________ 1a COM(2023)0148 – C9-0049/2023 – 2023/0077(COD)
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 b (new)
Citation 5 b (new)
– having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 10 July 2020 on a comprehensive European approach to energy storage2a and the Commission recommendation of 14 March 2023 on Energy Storage – Underpinning a decarbonised and secure EU energy system (2023/C 103/01)3a _________________ 2a Texts adopted_P9_TA(2020)0198 3a OJ C 103, 20.3.2023, p. 1–5
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the industry estimates that geothermal can supply more than 275 % of the heating and cooling consumed in Europe and over 105 % of its electrical power by 2040;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas geothermal energy represents a local, renewable, and constantly available energy source, with the highest capacity factor among renewable sources as well as low and predictable running costs;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas geothermal installations do not require critical raw materials to the extent of other renewable technologies and typically requires much less land and is therefore easily integrated into the landscape and cityscape with most of the installation located subsurface;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
Cc. whereas adequate and comprehensive policy conditions and frameworks are still missing at both the national and EU level to boost the development and use of geothermal energy in Europe;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C d (new)
Recital C d (new)
Cd. whereas underground thermal energy storage has the least land footprint and is the most cost-effective means of thermal energy storage, which can also provide long-duration electrical storage, if adequate support to commercially demonstrate such projects is provided;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 (new)
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1 Notes the substantial potential of geothermal heat for industrial processes, in particular for low to medium energy intensive processes (below 200 degrees), which represents as much as half of industry production in Europe; stresses, in this regard, that developing the use of geothermal heat for this purpose will increase the competitiveness of European companies by providing a reliable and affordable source of heat supply;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes that the development of technologies has broadened the area suitable for cost-efficient geothermal projects and their scope; stresses the potential of low-temperature, shallow geothermal resources that are available in all Member States; highlights the potential of deep geothermal projects;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Stresses that geothermal energy has the potential to significantly contribute to the achievement of some of the EU’s most strategic goals, including reaching climate targets by decarbonising carbon-intensive sectors, and bolstering the EU’s strategic autonomy by strengthening energy security needs, reducing fossil-fuel dependencies on unreliable third countries, such as Russia, increasing the competitiveness of European industries and empowering consumers thanks to affordable and reliable heat and electricity supply;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Stresses that geothermal energy will play an important role for the decarbonisation of the heating and cooling sector and therefore contributes to the Union’s green transition, in particular for reaching climate neutrality in 2050; underlines that it is of utmost importance to accelerate the geothermal ramp-up across the Union;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Recognises that the potential of geothermal energy has so far largely been untapped, in part due to social barriers, such as the lack of awareness and knowledge among policymakers, local authorities, financial institutions, and the general public;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Draws attention to geothermal storage solutions that are able to store excess wind and solar power for subsequent use in heating, cooling and power production, and their crucial role for the development of renewable-based energy systems; stresses, in this regard, that abandoned coal mines and aquifers are especially well suited for large-scale seasonal thermal storage or long duration electrical storage; notes the need to support the commercial development of aquifer storage and long-duration electrical storage through the EU’s Innovation Fund and provide market frameworks to incentivise seasonal thermal storage at an industrial scale in Europe; underlines, overall, the potential of geothermal energy for grid balancing due to its high capacity factor, flexibility of supply and dispatchable potential;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Recognises that the current context marked by Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine, the fight against climate change, and the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic with its subsequent disruptions of supply chains, have clearly showed the need to boost the development and use of geothermal energy across the EU;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 2 a (new)
Subheading 2 a (new)
Notes that high-quality data and figures lead to favourable political support and help setting ambitious energy targets;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls on the Commission to prepare an Europe Geothermal Strategy to meet the target to triple geothermal capacity by 2030 and beyond, as announced in the REPowerEU plan; notes, further, that the purpose of the strategy should be to ensure the establishment of adequate regulatory frameworks for all forms of geothermal energy;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Calls on the Commission to prepare a comprehensive study that will assess the potential of geothermal energy in the shallow, medium, deep, and ultra deep subsurface across all 27 Member States; notes that this study should help identify the potential of geothermal energy for various uses, including but not limited to, district heating, cooling, industrial processes, food production, heat pumps, electricity generation, renewable hydrogen and lithium production; notes that this study should also assess the impact of developing geothermal energy on the decarbonisation of the economy, job creation, competitiveness, empowering of consumers, and cost-effectiveness compared to other energy sources;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5c. Calls on the Commission to prepare a study that will identify the obstacles for the development of geothermal projects, including cross- borders issues and provide a guide on best practices of geothermal energy use in the EU for national and local authorities, project developers, and financial institutions;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Urges the European Commission to significantly simplify and streamline permitting procedures for geothermal projects due to lengthy approval procedures, including extensive studies related to nature conversation laws, to facilitate the planning and implementation of large-scale geothermal projects; draws attention to the possibility to simplify legal requirements through temporary exemptions from obligations set out in nature protections laws as well as through ambitious procedural deadlines, and, thus, to shorten the planning and implementation of geothermal projects;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls on the Commission to develop a framework to incentivise 4th and 5th generation geothermal heating and cooling networks;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Calls on the European Commission to grant renewable heating and cooling methods, such as geothermal energy, a similar exemption from EU procurement regulations as the one already in place for renewable electricity generation; emphasizes that implementing additional measures, like the exemption of specific services such as supply and construction from the requirement of EU- wide tendering, would significantly accelerate projects;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Recalls Member states to set an indicative target for innovative renewable energy technology of at least 5 % of new installed renewable energy capacity by 2030, for the implementation of the Strategic Research and Innovation agenda of the European technology and Innovation platform on geothermal and the Implementation Plan of the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET- Plan) implementation Working Group on geothermal;
Amendment 139 #
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 to further develop the basic geological database; notes that this should be achieved in compliance with confidentiality requirements, including copy rights and protecting know how, and data protection rules, and, where necessary, include incentives and compensation for data sharing by private entities;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Notes that one of the major challenges for the fast deployment of geothermal energy is the lack of access to already existing geological data due to high costs, lack of transparency, and fragmented data sharing policies across Member States; underlines, further, that this lack of data access prevents scientists from creating geological models that are essential to predict the potential and yield of geothermal energy in a given subsurface area and are thus crucial in reducing uncertainty for project developers;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 d (new)
Paragraph 8 d (new)
8d. Highlights the importance of making data available from existing district heating networks, including the level of modernisation and heat demand, to geothermal stakeholders across Europe; underscores that this data is crucial to evaluate the potential of a region and engage with local authorities throughout the initial stages of a project;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses that forin areas with insufficient subsurface data, governments can play a role in funding geothermal resource mapping and exploratory drilling; calls, therefore, on the Member States with insufficient subsurface data to finance resource mapping and exploration drilling, especially for SMEs, to establish geothermal potential; notes that this should include subsurface data up to 200 meters in the short-term and data up to 400 meters in the medium- term; welcomes the fact that some Member States have already taken steps in this direction; calls for EU funding to support this data collection with a view to creating an EU-of expanding and strengthening the work of the EU funded project EGDI, which aims to create a EU wide atlas of geothermal potentialresource;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Calls on Member States to include geothermal exploration when conducting their national programme for general exploration of critical raw materials as part of the Critical Raw Materials Act; asks that any data feeding from this exploration programme to be added to the EU-wide geological database;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Notes that geothermal construction and the preceding exploration phase require a significant amount of investment and major entrepreneurial risks in the initial project phase, hindering investments; 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, convertible loans that are convertible to grants, state- backed guarantees, hedging mechanisms, including exploration insurance), as well as the potential benefits of an EU-wide risk mitigation scheme;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Notes that investment in research and development of geothermal energy has been completely underfunded in relation to other sectors; calls, therefore, on the Commission to support investments in R&D for market deployment, commercial-scale development of aquifer and other underground storage technologies, development of reliable pump technology, new drilling techniques, business model innovation to reduce high capital costs;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Expresses concern that while geothermal heat pumps (GHPs)lants, including geothermal heat pumps, are currently the most efficient heat pumpstechnology, 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 to bridge this gap, including based on the pay-as-you-save principle;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls on the Commission to take appropriate steps to ensure that geothermal projects are better taken into account when using existing funds and instruments; asks the Commission to consider setting up a dedicated geothermal fund or to dedicate resources under existing funds to geothermal projects, especially to support innovative technologies such as, but not limited to, closed-loop technology that has the potential to harness geothermal energy in formerly inaccessible areas, and geothermal storages for waste heat utilization and installation; notes the importance of facilitating access to capital for innovative companies in the geothermal sector, especially SMEs;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls on the Commission to take appropriate steps to ensure that geothermal projects are better taken into account when using existing funds and instruments; asks the Commission to consider setting up a dedicated geothermal fund, including geothermal storages for waste heat utilization and installation as well as transformation of heat network;
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Calls on the Commission to gather all funding opportunities in a centralised portal to inform and give clarity to relevant stakeholders, especially SMEs;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Calls on the Commission to grant geothermal and solar thermal, a similar exemption from EU procurement regulations as the one already in place for renewable electricity generation;
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Notes that permits for geothermal installations must be made extensible and flexible to cover the extraction of lithium or the production of hydrogen from existing capacity under the same lease; recalls that the EU's REPowerEU plan has a production target of 10 million tons of clean hydrogen by 2030 along with 10 million tons of imported clean hydrogen; asks, therefore, the Commission to explore the potential of geothermal energy to contribute to these objectives;
Amendment 235 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 c (new)
Paragraph 16 c (new)
16c. Is concerned by the multiple entries for geothermal in the Regulation ((EU) 2020/852) establishing a framework to facilitate sustainable investment; calls, therefore, on the Commission to review the classification of geothermal energy applications in the taxonomy provisions, in particular by removing the lifecycle CO2 emission criteria which is applied to geothermal and no other renewable sources, as this undermines access to private capital and negatively impacts the significant potential of geothermal energy to the decarbonisation of the heating and cooling sector;
Amendment 236 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 d (new)
Paragraph 16 d (new)
16d. Calls on the Commission to promote EU manufacturing capacity of geothermal energy technologies, including via fast-tracking permitting processes for the expansion of facilities and creating adequate fiscal incentives;
Amendment 238 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 6
Subheading 6
Amendment 248 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Stresses that while the EU is the leader in geothermal research and development, high-value patents, scientific publications and manufacturing, support measures for next-generation geothermal technologies are needed at European and national level in order to support this position, particularly in geothermal storage and industrial applications;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Recognises that underground thermal storage, especially in connection with the use of geothermal sources, could represent an innovative tool in non- urbanised and industrial areas; calls on the Commission and the Member States to support research and development for these solutions and to implement large- scale pilot plants;
Amendment 255 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Highlights the need to boost innovation and research in the development of reliable pump technology, which is the core of every component of every geothermal plant;
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Draws attention to the online mapping of existing geothermal installations in a given city or region as a good practice which can raise the visibility of geothermal solutions and help support investment decisions; highlights that new demonstrations plants are needed to show that innovative geothermal techniques, particularly Geothermal Seasonal Storages and petro thermal projects, are feasible;
Amendment 290 #
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 and transparency standards can serve as an efficient way of overcoming distrustunderlines that geothermal power plants have a limited land consumption compared to other renewable energy technologies; notes that providing the public with transparent information about the geothermal energy technologies and projects increases public acceptance;