Minister Ryan publishes Policy Statement on Geothermal Energy for a Circular Economy
From Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
Published on
Last updated on
Today, the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, published the Policy Statement on Geothermal Energy for a Circular Economy. The Statement delivers on the Roadmap for Geothermal Energy published in November 2020 and is an action in the Climate Action Plan 2023.
Geothermal energy is the heat beneath the surface of solid earth. It can be stored heat from the sun, or heat from the Earth’s core. It is not only renewable, it is also secure, reliable, and local. It can be used for heating and cooling buildings and generating electricity. Advances in technology, proven over the past decade, mean that geothermal energy can now play a significant role in our transition to a carbon neutral and circular economy.
The publication of the Policy Statement will raise awareness of the exciting potential of this renewable energy and is an important step in addressing the barriers to the development of geothermal energy in Ireland.
Shallow geothermal energy can be accessed all across Ireland and our deeper geothermal resources have recognised potential to decarbonise our buildings and industries. The policy statement reflects an intensive public consultation process, as well as the discussions of the Geothermal Energy Advisory Group. The members of the advisory group are drawn from the environmental, geoscientific, industry and social pillars, as well as government departments and regulators. A Consultation Report is published with the Policy Statement.
The policy aims to promote the sustainable development of Ireland’s geothermal resources in support of Ireland’s climate action commitments by setting out:
1. The preferred approach to regulation, and
2. The scope of a strategy to promote the sustainable development of Ireland’s geothermal resources to decarbonise the heating and cooling of buildings and for industrial uses and power generation.
Commenting on the new Policy Statement, Minster Ryan said:
"This Statement is an important step in addressing the barriers to the development of geothermal energy in Ireland and focusing our attention on its exciting potential. Geothermal energy technologies capture the renewable heat beneath our feet to provide secure and low-carbon heat to our homes, businesses and industries. In the future, high-temperature geothermal energy at depth could even be used to power electricity-generating turbines here in Ireland.
"It’s not dependent on weather, season, or time of day—it can be produced around the clock, all year long and it is another powerful way to help us move away from the use of fossil fuels and towards a cleaner energy future. I am grateful to the Geothermal Energy Advisory Group for helping to finalise this policy statement and the commitment of its members to helping develop a strategy for the development of the sector. Continued engagement with the public, community groups and other stakeholders across industry and academia, will be critically important to that strategy."
The Policy Statement acknowledges that the provision of a regulatory framework for geothermal energy projects will not be sufficient for the full development of the geothermal energy sector and maximising its contribution to the decarbonisation of meeting Ireland’s heating, cooling and electricity demands. The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, will, in consultation with the Geothermal Energy Advisory Group, develop a strategy for the deployment of geothermal energy. The scope for the strategy set out in the Policy Statement includes examining:
1. Metrics and targets for geothermal energy
2. Data gathering and research
3. Financial incentives
4. Knowledge, skills and capacity
5. Planning and engagement with Local Authorities
6. Information and engagement with the public
7. Deployment in publicly funded buildings
The Policy Statement can be accessed on the department's website.
Geothermal energy is the heat beneath the surface of solid earth. It can be stored heat from the sun, or heat from the Earth’s core. In general, the temperature of the earth (and the amount of available geothermal energy) increases with depth, at an estimated average rate of 21 °C per kilometre in Ireland.
Advances in technology have led to the development of geothermal resources for heating and/or electricity production in places away from the volcanic regions where the heat is easily accessible (such as Iceland, Italy, New Zealand) to where the heat flow is not particularly elevated (such as France, Netherlands, Belgium, UK, Germany). Geothermal energy could be a viable, significant source of renewable energy in Ireland.
The Draft Policy Statement on Geothermal Energy for a Circular Economy follows the publication in November 2020 by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, of 'An Assessment of Geothermal Energy for District Heating in Ireland' and 'Geothermal Energy in Ireland - A Roadmap for a Policy and Regulatory Framework'.
Geothermal energy is a commercially proven and renewable form of energy that can be used for heating, cooling, electricity production, or for both heat and power generation combined.
The geothermal potential of Ireland is not yet fully understood. This is because we don’t yet know enough about the deep subsurface and more research is needed. However, Irish geothermal energy resources could be used for a variety of purposes. The best way to extract and use geothermal energy will depend on the local geological setting and ultimate use for the energy.
Geological Survey Ireland, a division of the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, has partnered with TU Dublin to explore the geothermal resource beneath Dublin city centre. In 2021, a temperature of 38° Celsius was measured in an exploratory borehole at a depth of 1 km beneath the surface. Given that there should be a constant increase in temperature with increase in depth, this result indicates that the energy required for district heating, 80–90°C, may be located by drilling to depths of between 2 and 3 km.
The different types of geothermal technologies that could be deployed in Ireland will have different characteristics that the regulatory framework outlined in the Draft Policy Statement will respond to in a way that is proportionate. Further Information Resources will be made available so that these technologies can be widely understood.
The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland’s (SEAI) National Heat Study has found that 38% of all energy consumption in Ireland is used for heat. Oil, gas and solid fuels are still the primary means for heat generation. In energy terms, this equates to 55,230 GWh of energy annually. Emissions from the heat sector were responsible for 12.6 Million tonnes of carbon equivalent (MT CO2) in 2019.
New analysis and insights on district heating and geothermal energy from the SEAI’s work on its Heat Study suggest that up to 54% of domestic, commercial, and public sector demand for heating in Ireland could be met by District Heating and that geothermal energy will be an important source of heat.
To achieve our climate action goals over the medium and longer term (2030 and 2050) and in the framework of national policy on Climate Action, targets may be set for geothermal energy. This will require further work, beyond the regulatory framework for licencing set out in the draft policy statement, based on better geothermal data and a better understanding the economics of geothermal energy projects.
Over time, the ambition is that geothermal energy will also be considered within the framework of national policy and strategies on renewable energy, energy security and energy poverty.
A Strategic Environmental Assessment Statement, prepared by external consultants, RPS Consulting Engineers, records in detail how the recommendations for mitigation measures contained in both the Environmental Report and the Natura Impact Statement, as well as the views of the statutory consultees and other submissions received during consultation influenced the preparation of the final Policy Statement, including amendments and additional text.
The final Natura Impact Statement assessed that ‘no adverse effects on European sites are anticipated’. As such, the Policy Statement itself will not adversely affect the integrity of any European site, either alone or in combination with other plans or projects, and the department has made a determination to this effect.