The possibility to fulfil the UK’s heating needs without causing
emissions is beneath our feet and ready to be utilised, the
Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) argues today.
In a letter to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and
Industrial Strategy, EAC sets out its view from evidence it has
received on the potential of geothermal technologies. EAC
observes that the Government has been slow to exploit the
potential of geothermal, and has not integrated it fully into the
net zero strategy: this appears to be holding back a sector which
could be transformative for the UK’s capacity to meet climate
goals, use homegrown energy and grow the economy.
Geothermal energy is energy stored beneath the surface of the
Earth. When used with a heat pump, geothermal offers small scale
heating anywhere in the UK: the Committee explored the potential
for heat pumps in November 2020. The range of geological
formations available in the UK can serve many different purposes
on a larger scale, such as in district heating and in power
generation. The opportunities offered by harnessing geothermal
technologies can offer considerable economic benefits: it is
estimated that the sector could support as many as 25,000 jobs by
2050.
The current policy, funding and regulatory landscape does not
appear to the EAC to be conducive to optimising this potential:
the Government did not acknowledge geothermal technologies in
either the British Energy Security Strategy or the Net Zero
Strategy.
The Committee has therefore written to the Secretary of State for
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy with a number of
questions on current Government policy, and urges him to
investigate an appropriate licensing regime for geothermal
projects in the UK.
Environmental Audit Committee Chairman, Rt Hon MP, said:
“In its efforts to make the UK’s energy market more resilient, it
is surprising that the Government appears to have overlooked the
potential of geothermal energy. The Committee heard that
geothermal energy could more than satisfy the UK’s current
heating demand, a contribution which could result in a 20% saving
on the UK’s current greenhouse gas emissions.
“This energy is beneath our feet and is ready to be explored to
test its commercial viability. I expect Ministers will wish to
reflect carefully on the evidence the Committee received and
reconsider the potential role of geothermal energy in heating UK
buildings and providing power while aiding the drive towards net
zero emissions targets.”
