Geothermal Technologies : analysis of written evidence from the Environmental Audit Committee inquiry

In July 2022, The UK Parliament’s Environmental Audit Commission (EAC) launched an inquiry on geothermal technologies as part of their Technological Innovations and Climate Change inquiry (https://committees.parliament.uk/work/6777/technological-innovations-and-climatechange- geothermal-technologies/publications/). The inquiry focussed on Enhanced Geothermal Systems and Mine Water Energy Systems. It investigated the potential scale of their deployment in the UK to provide heat and power; the role geothermal technologies could have in the UK’s Energy Strategy and what barriers there are to the deployment, economic impact, and environmental impact of these technologies. As part of the inquiry, the EAC issued a call for the submission of written evidence to provide answers to one or more of the following questions: 1. What role can geothermal technologies take in the transition to net zero in the UK? 2. What barriers (technological, regulatory, or otherwise) are there to deploying operational geothermal technologies in the UK? 3. What is the scale of the potential market for geothermal energy sources and which geographic or other geological types are most suitable for exploitation of this natural resource? 4. Are current government support schemes sufficient to grow geothermal energy deployment in the UK? 5. What environmental concerns are associated with geothermal technologies, and are they appropriately accounted for in regulations? 6. What risks are there to investors, operators, and consumers of geothermal energy? How can these be mitigated? 7. How does the density of mine water systems affect their efficiency? Could widespread uptake of geothermal systems in dense population centres lead to a reduction in their ability to provide heat? 8. What economic impact could the deployment of mine water geothermal systems have on the areas in which they are deployed? The written evidence received by the EAC for this inquiry is published on the UK Parliament website at https://committees.parliament.uk/work/6777/technological-innovations-and-climatechange- geothermal-technologies/publications/written-evidence/. This report captures a qualitative analysis of this evidence. It specifically investigates what opportunities, challenges and barriers are identified by the submissions as well as the support measures that are suggested for developing a geothermal industry in the UK.