EGEC NEWSTHE VOICE OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY IN EUROPE
Issue n°3. December 2006
WELCOME… to the last issue of the EGEC Newsletter…for 2006

A word from the EGEC President :Dear members of EGEC, dear readers of this newsletter,
the highlight of the last weeks of 2006 on the European scene for Energy andR&D clearly was the final approval of the 7th Framework Program on Research
and Technological Development (FP7). After more than two years of
preparation, discussion, lobbying, and bureaucratic procedures, the way for the next 7 years ismarked. Read more about the renewable energy coverage, the geothermal content, and EGEC´sposition on the FP7 documents in this issue.
Development in other policy areas also is taking shape fast, with the energy roadmap of theEuropean Commission under preparation. The official publication event for the Commission´sideas on the future of energy security, renewable energies, energy efficiency, etc. is scheduled
for early January 2007. EGEC hopes that this event will not just bring some more nice words andcolorful, but vague dedications, but that in consequence of the Commissions plans we will see
practical changes for an increased support of renewable energies!
Under the German presidency, key actions on the climate change scene can be expected in thefirst half of 2007. One event particularly important for renewable energies is the first European
Renewable Energy Policy Conference, organized by EREC with the support of the German
Ministry of Environment (BMU). On January 29-31, 2007, top-level speakers will discuss
renewable energy policy at this event in Brussels. EGEC, as a member of EREC, will be present
at that conference, and you as EGEC members, members of national geothermal associations, orjust readers of this newsletter, are invited to join. See more details and an online registration toolon the EREC website: http://www.erec-renewables.org
At the Annual General Meeting of EGEC on November 24, 2006, a new structure for themembership fees has been adopted (see our website http://www.egec.org ). For most of you, thefees will be lower, and we hope to attract more members from the geothermal industry
throughout Europe to join EGEC. Please, become an ambassador for EGEC, by spreading theword and inviting your partner companies and colleagues!
With the very best wishes for a happy
and prosperous year 2007 I remain
Sincerely yours,
Dr. Burkhard SannerThis Issue :- Research and Development- Policy- News from EGEC
- News from EGEC members- Events

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Research and Development
1) The FP7 is adopted ! and the call for proposals is on the air !
After 19 month of negotiations and 2000 amendments - 700 of which were put to a vote - theEuropean Parliament gave, in its plenary session on 30 November 2006, its final approval to the
EU's Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7) for
2007-2013. The Council also adopted it the 18-12/2006.
The objectives of FP7 have been grouped into research themes; Cooperation, Ideas, People andCapacities. The Seventh Framework Programme will be fully operational as of 1 January andwill expire in 2013. For more information, please visit:
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/
http://ec.europa.eu/research/fp7/home_en.html
The European Commission has opened the first call for proposals under the Seventh Framework
Programme (FP7) the 22nd of December 2006. The relevant text for geothermal energy reads:
GEOTHERMAL ELECTRICITY : AREA ENERGY.2.4: GEOTHERMAL
Research and development should aim to develop enabling technologies for the exploitation ofhigh-temperature resources, and to prove the feasibility and sustainability of EGS technology inrepresentative EU sites. The estimated current cost of electricity generation from the firstgeneration prototype plants is of the order of € 0.08-0.15/kWh.
Demonstration projects should aim at improving geothermal reservoir detection technology,
increasing the performance of fluid production systems (corrosion and scaling), and increasing
the efficiency of electricity generating systems.
Expected impact: a continued reduction in cost through innovative developments, learning curve
effects and co-generation of heat and power should lead to an electricity cost from enhanced
geothermal systems of around 0.05 €/kWh in 2020.
Topic ENERGY.2007.2.4.1: Understanding and Mitigation of Induced Seismicity Associatedwith Geothermal Field Development
Content/scope: The objective is to study the mechanisms of induced seismicity related togeothermal field development and operation, in particular enhanced geothermal systems (EGS).
The research should (a) analyse the distribution in time and space of the magnitude of seismic
events, (b) set requirements for seismic monitoring, (c) recommend management strategies forprolonged field operation, and (d) provide a methodology for the estimation of site-specificseismic hazard prior to development of potential sites for EGS.
Funding scheme: Collaborative Project (small or medium scale focused project) with apredominant R&D component. Only one is expected to be funded.
Expected impact: The results should lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms of seismic
events in geothermal reservoirs. This will enable to define strategies for fluid injection, for the
extraction of heat over a prolonged period, and/or for the creation of EGS.
Open in call: FP7-ENERGY-2007-1-RTD
Deadline: 03 May 2007 at 17:00 (Brussels local time)

GEOTHERMAL HEATING & COOLING : AREA ENERGY.4.3: GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
Expected impact: the focus of the geothermal energy area will be on the following topics: i) toimprove the performance of specific ground source heat pumps (increased efficiency andcompetitiveness); ii) to improve the reliability and ease of maintenance of the underground heatexchanger.
Deadline: 03 May 2007 at 17:00 (Brussels local time)2Topic ENERGY.2007.4.3.1: Improved ground source heat pumps
Content/scope: Optimise the component level design including heat transfer fluids of commercial
ground source heat pumps. The aim is to increase the coefficient of performance of the heat pumpand of the overall system in order to reduce the electricity consumption and extend its usage inEurope and particularly to the Mediterranean regions where this technology has not gained
ground in a significant manner. The increase of efficiency will reduce operating costs and reduce
pay-back time.
Funding scheme: Collaborative project with a predominant demonstration component.
Expected impact: Reduce total cost (investment, operation and maintenance costs) of geothermalheat supply.
Open in call: FP7-ENERGY-2007-2-TREN
Topic ENERGY.2007.4.3.2: Improved underground systems
Content/scope: Development of components which are easy to connect and disconnect from thesurface. It is important to further progress with this technology as the geothermal heat pump has
important components below the surface. The installation and repair costs which are a sizable
part of the installation will be greatly reduced allowing sector to increase market share as wellas progress in reliability.
Funding scheme: Collaborative project with a predominant demonstration component.
Expected impact: Robust, reliable and low-maintenance geothermal heat pump systems.
Open in call: FP7-ENERGY-2007-2-TREN

The importance of the topic on induced seismicity described above was confirmed by nature, as
on December 8, 2006, a minor earthquake has occurred in Basel, Switzerland, which isconsidered to have been triggered by the frac process in the Swiss Deep Heat Mining project.

2) EGEC welcomes FP7 agreement - however, renewable energies and energy
efficiency still far behind nuclear in funding
On 15 December 2006, the European Council reached agreement on a text negotiated by the
Parliament and Commission granting at least € 1.175 billion of the budget for non-nuclear
energy research for renewable energies and energy end-use efficiency over the next seven years,
within the 7th Research Framework Programme (FP7). The Parliament already had approved thefinal text on 30 November 2006 after backing down from its original position, which sought
more than € 2.4 billion for renewables.
FP7 is the EU's main instrument for funding European research and has an overall budget of € 54
billion. Following the Council’s decision to support the compromise, the programme will begin
as planned in January 2007 and will run until 2013.
Geothermal energy is part of the possible topics for R&D on renewable energy sources, both forelectric power and in the heating and cooling sector. With geothermal energy, also the otherwise
difficult base-load part of the renewable energy supply can successfully be met.
EGEC welcomes the increased funding for renewable energies in FP7, and highlights the factthat renewables and energy efficiency account for about half of the funds available for nonnuclear energy research. However, in the light of the increasing importance of renewableenergies for fighting against climate change, the support is far from what is required, and far
from what might be possible. A comparison with the funds available for nuclear energy R&D,
which is outside FP7, and dealt with in the EURATOM treaty, shows that clearly: On an annual
basis, RES+EE will receive just 31 % of the sum available for nuclear energy research (see tableon next page).

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3000
total
2500

2700

/ annual

2350

million €

2000
1500

1175

1000
540,0
500

335,7
167,9

0
FP7 Energy (all)FP7 Energy (RES+EE)

Euratom 2007-2011

During the 7 year validity period of FP7, the Commission will issue several calls for proposals in
the renewable energy sector. Within the first call of Dec. 22, 2006, geothermal energy ismentioned both in the area of electricity (Energy 2007.2) and of heating and cooling (Energy
2007.4). Alas, in the electricity sector, only a small budget for the rather narrow topic of induced
seismicity is foreseen (just for one projects probably). Other very important tasks, including thefurther evolution of low-temperature power generation, are not yet covered. In heating andcooling, the focus is on shallow geothermal only. It will be possible to submit widely related
proposals also, but the chance for selection is low.
For EGEC and the national associations the task is to ensure that future calls will have sufficientbudget for geothermal research, and priorities that match better the current industry needs. The
primary tool for influencing R&D-decisions of the Commission can be a European Geothermal
Energy Technology Platform. At a workshop in Brussels on Nov. 24, 2006, EGEC explored thepossibility to create such a technology platform for the geothermal sector. All presentations of
the workshop are available on our website : www.egec.org > events. The next steps will be acontinued discussion at the ENGINE mid-term conference in Potsdam, Jan.10, 2007, and at EGC
2007 in Unterhaching on May 31, 2007.

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POLICY
3) Groundwater: stricter standards agreed in conciliation
The Parliament and the EU Council of Ministers struck an agreement on the proposed
Groundwater Directive on 18 October. The directive aims to prevent the pollution ofgroundwater, Europe’s main drinking resource, from agricultural residues such as pesticides andother harmful chemicals.
On 12 December 2006 the European Parliament gave its formal green light. In a key amendment,
MEPs succeeded in broadening the scope of the directive to protection of groundwater "against
pollution and deterioration" and not just "against pollution" as the Council had originally
requested.
The agreement provides a legally binding obligation for member states to prevent the input of
hazardous chemicals into groundwater. After the 2009 deadline to transpose the directive into
national law, member states will be required to take "all measures necessary to prevent inputs
into groundwater of any hazardous substances". The Council had previously backed lessspecific wording, requiring that all measures necessary be taken to "aim to prevent" groundwaterpollution.

4) EU trade unions demand strong climate-change policy
The executive committee of the European Trade Union Federation (ETUC) adopted an ambitious
resolution on European climate change policy in a meeting held on 18-19 October. ETUC sees
opportunities in the form of new jobs but also dangers for some manufacturing sectors, which are
the largest emitters of greenhouse gases. The ETUC therefore puts forward the following
recommendations:• Better estimation of the impact that climate change policies will have on employment andskills; social transition measures and more worker participation;• a review of the guidelines for the EU's employment strategy to "include the objective of
exploiting the full potential to create jobs linked to the development of renewable energy
sources, energy effiency and public transportation systems;• to clarify the scope of the EU's new European Globalisation Fund "so that it can be used
for workers in sectors exposed to international competition that are the most affected bygreenhouse gas emission restrictions";• to revise the existing directive on European work councils to give workers the right toinformation and participation on energy and climate-change issues, and;• more ambitions for European transport policy.
The ETUC resolution also puts forward very ambitious targets for greenhouse gas reductions:
25% by 2020 and 75% by 2050, in comparison with 1990 levels. The EU should make thesecommitments "independently of international negotiations on the post-Kyoto period".
Finally, ETUC also calls upon the Commission to set up a "European platform for tripartite
dialogue on climate change, bringing together the European social partners and the relevant
directorates-general of the Commission".

55) Commission proposes €100 million global risk capital fund for developing countries
to boost energy efficiency and renewables
The Commission proposed on 6 October to create a Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Energy Fund (GEEREF) to mobilize private and public risk capital investment in sound energy
technologies in developing and transition economies.

6) Commission accused of attacking aid for green electricity
A pending case between the Commission and Luxembourg relating to state aid for green
electricity was denounced by the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) as running contrary to
the EU's objective of promoting renewable energies.
In a 2001 directive, the EU set itself a target to increase the share of electricity produced fromrenewable energy to 21% by 2010. However, member states remain free to choose theirpreferred system to support green electricity. These are mainly:• Feed-in tariffs which oblige grid operators to purchase green electricity at a fixed (higher)
price in order to compensate for the difference with the market price, and;• quota systems (or 'green certificates') where governments determine a minimum share of
power to be produced from renewable sources.
The EEB said that the Commission had warned Luxembourg against its policy to compensate
customers for higher-priced green electricity. When customers buy green power from a member
state where a different support scheme applies, the measures are said by the Commission to beillegal, according to the EEB.
In July this year, the Commission delivered a ruling which said that feed-in tariffs in Austria had
to be assimilated to state aid. However, it noted that the scheme was in compliance with the EU
directive on the promotion of green electricity and authorised it. But it also ordered Austria tostrip the scheme of a levy paid by final consumers on their electricity bill as it considered that
this was leading to discrimination against imported electricity which did not receive the aid.
Claude Turmes, a Green MEP from Luxembourg, says that there are internal disputes at theCommission over what kind of support scheme Brussels should publicly endorse. He says the
dispute pits the competition and enterprise directorates against environment and energy.
"This is a political manoeuvre," says Turmes, who points out that if the Luxembourg feed-in
pricing system collapses, the German one will follow. "In Germany, power utilities do not likethe feed-in tariff system because it allows many new companies to enter the market." This,
Turmes says, resulted in a 6% loss of market share representing "millions of euros of business".
"DG Competition is wasting its time attacking 5% of the market share," he added.
In November 2005, the preliminary findings of a Commission inquiry highlighted lack ofcompetition in the energy sector as a cause of major concern and criticised member states forkeeping their markets closed to foreign competitors.
A decision on the Luxembourg state aid case is expected in the coming months. But before in
December 2006, the EC will publish final results of the Commission competition enquiry in theenergy sector.
It is expected to have in December 2007 a review from the Commission of the need forharmonization of support mechanisms for renewable electricity.

67) Declaration “European Regions for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Sources” signed on Dec. 7, 2006, in Brussels
Renewable energies have strong allies in the European regions. A declaration on energy
efficiency and renewable energy was signed on December 7, 2006, at a round table organized in
Brussels by the Committee of the Regions, the European Federation of Regional Energy andEnvironment Agencies and the Assembly of European Regions.
The position of the regions fit perfectly with the activities EGEC currently is doing in order toplant geothermal energy in regional plans 2007-2013.
The full text and pledges can be found at:
http://www.fedarene.org/publications/Projects/Contrat/Res-e-Regions/Declaration.htm

8) Climate-friendly energy neglected in EU spending plans for new member states :NGO research reveals EU is missing opportunity to back up climate commitmentswith financial support
The EU must take the opportunity today to adopt with EU regions, Operational Programmes
2007-2013 with ambitious targets for the renewables. The lack of this activity has recently been
pointed out by some NGOs.
The plans for spending future EU funds in the new member states give alarmingly insufficientfinancial support to energy efficiency and renewable energy, new research by Friends of the
Earth Europe and CEE Bankwatch Network revealed in November, 18 2006
Member states are currently submitting to the European Commission their Operational
Programmes, which define how exactly they will use EU funds between 2007 and 2013, forappraisal.
Friends of the Earth Europe and CEE Bankwatch Network are urging the Commission and themember states to revise the plans before they are finalised in the next few months so that at least
five percent of all EU funds in each member state is allocated for necessary energy efficiency
and renewable investments. Examples include the renovation of public buildings and decaying
prefabricated blocks of flats, the modernisation of municipal district heating systems, thecombined generation of heat and power and investments in wind, solar, geothermal and smallscale biomass energy projects.
EGEC underlines that these financial supports will permit to really develop the geothermal
heating and cooling market all over Europe. Big opportunities are represented by the geothermalheat pump sector and the renovation of district heating. Notably, for heat distribution, Eastern
European countries may have an advantage due to existing networks : they could use thesestructural funds to adapt their heating system into an efficient renewable way.

9) A future common European Energy Policy
The EU Commission opened the debate on a future common European Energy Policy with the
publication of a 'Green Paper' in March 2006.
At a March 2006 summit, EU member states already made clear that they would not tolerateinterference with national sovereignty, especially when it comes to making sensitive politicalchoices on the energy mix such as opting for nuclear power.

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EU ministers shared views on energy efficiency and renewables on 22 November as part of abroader discussion on the EU's energy choices ahead of a Strategic EU Energy Review to bepresented by the Commission in January.
The review will assess the contribution of every source of energy - wind, nuclear, coal or other to the objectives of sustainability, competitiveness and supply security endorsed by EU leadersin March. It will also include a renewable energy road map with possible new targets after 2010.
The ministers were only able to reach a minimalist consensus, saying that renewable energies"enhance competitiveness and security of supply". They insisted on R&D programmes at bothnational and EU levels to make the technologies more competitive.
Addressing the Energy Council, Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs said that mandatory
targets were the best option to increase the share of renewable energy in Europe.
Separately, the European Parliament's Industry Committee firstly on 23 November backed calls
for binding targets for renewable energies in order to achieve a 25% share of renewables inprimary energy by 2020.
Secondly, the 14th of December 2006 the European Parliament provided a clear signal on how topromote renewable energy in the EU up to 2020.
The European Parliament responded to the European Commission’s Green Paper on sustainable,
competitive and secure energy by calling for binding sectoral targets for renewables in order toachieve 25% of renewables in primary energy by 2020.
At the same time the European Commission is preparing its proposal for a roadmap that will
effectively change the existing, successful sectoral approach to renewables legislation, by
proposing vague measures and ambiguous commitments. By omitting sectoral targets in its draft
Roadmap, the Commission is providing cynical window dressing, according to the European
Renewable Energy Council (EREC).
“The Commission should focus on creating the missing link in EU renewables legislation –heating and cooling – rather than undermining existing legislation for electricity and biofuels,”said EREC policy director Oliver Schäfer
The European renewable energy industries call on the European Commission to support theEuropean Parliament’s approach in its upcoming Renewable Energy Roadmap. Anything else
would threaten to dismantle the current, successful framework for renewables.
The EU should continue its successful approach of specific sectoral targets to avoid putting
existing frameworks under threat and creating widespread investor uncertainty.
By 2020, the EU should reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% and produce 25% of its
primary energy through renewables, according to this report.
The European Parliament adopted the Eluned Morgan report on the Commission's Green Paperon a European Strategy for Sustainable, Competitive and Secure Energy. MEPs recommend
setting binding targets for greenhouse-gas reduction and energy efficiency. They also expressed
support for more use of renewables but left the decision whether to use nuclear power to member
states.
The Parliament's resolution foresees the following concrete targets:• 30% CO2 reduction by 2020 and 60-80% by 2050;• 25% of primary energy production from renewables by 2020 and a road map to reach
50% by 2040;• energy efficiency improvements of 20% by 2020.
The 10th January 2007, the Commission will present its Strategic Energy Review focusing on
both external and internal aspects of EU energy policy and analysing advantages and drawbacksof each source of energy.
8NEWS FROM EGECNEW MEMBERS :We are pleased to announce you that in since our last newsletter in October 2006, 5 new partners
join us as EGEC members ; and we are glad to cover now two new countries with Portugal and
Macedonia : Macedonian Geothermal Association, Deep Drill Equipment B.V. (TheNetherlands), Escola Superior de Tecnologia de Setubal (Portugal), UBeG GbR (Germany) andGreen Watt (Romania).

WORKSHOP ‘Towards a Technology Platform for Geothermal Energy’
EGEC organized the 24/11/2006 a workshop in Brussels on the possibility to create a technology
platform for the geothermal sector.
After a presentation of the political panorama from Christine Lins (EREC) and Burkhard Sanner(EGEC), Jeroen Schuppers (EC - DG Research) explained how to build a technological platform.
An active debate, managed by Pierre Ungemach (Geoproduction), Christian Boissavy (Geoenergie) and Katharina Krell (EUREC), permitted to all participants to express their point ofview.
In Conclusion, it was decided to continue discussion on this topic during the ENGINE Mid-Term
Conference, Postdam,Germany, 10-12/01/2007.
The final conclusion on the creation of a geothermal technology platform will be taken at theEuropean Geothermal Congress in May 2007.
All presentations of the workshop are on our website : www.egec.org > events
Following the Geothermal Workshop, the Annual General Meeting of EGEC was held in the
Renewable Energy House, Brussels on the 24/11/2006 (the minutes to be published on themember´s section of the EGEC website).

Project GROUNDREACHEGEC is in charge to publish quarterly newsletters on the GSHP sector in Europe.
On 17 November 2006 the Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) Best Practice Database was
implemented into the project website of the EIE project GROUND-REACH(http://www.groundreach.eu).
Main purpose of this database is•to provide reliable information on the high energy efficiency and low CO2 emissions
achieved with GSHP in practice•
to show the broad range of possible application areas for this sustainable heating/coolingtechnology all over Europe•
to form the basis for setting up recommendations for a successful design, installation andoperation of GSHP systems
In the course of the project at least 50 best practice cases from 28 EU countries shall becompiled. So far four cases are included (two office buildings, a one-family house and asheltered workshop). An evaluation of the best practice case studies shall help to identify criteria("benchmarks") for the application of GSHP in Europe.
9All stakeholders interested in presenting their successful ground source heat pump installation(s)to the public are invited to submit information to FIZ Karlsruhe, Germany or to make direct
online input on the website. Measurement of seasonal performance factor (SPF) over at least one
heating period is required.

Project K4RES-H
The documents with the interim results can be downloaded from the website of the European
Renewable Energy Council, at http://www.erec-renewables.org.
The Renewable Heating and Cooling Action Plan and the Geothermal Action Plan will bepresented at the European Policy Conference in Brussels – 29-31 January 2007.

Project GTR-H starts…
On 14/12/2006 the kick-off meeting of the Geothermal Regulations for Heating / GTR-H project
was held in Dublin.GTR-H stands for primarily to produce regulations for GEE for Ireland,
Hungary, Poland and Northern Ireland, UK to be used as a template for geothermal regulation
across Europe ; and review best international practice and effectiveness of existing regulations inplace in other countries.
GTR-H will follow up on barriers to GEE identified by K4RES-H and will develop a templatefor establishing solutions.
The other objectives : Design and elaborate geothermal regulations in focusing on promotion of
exploration and exploitation of geothermal energy. Draw up a template to remove regulatorylegislative barriers and provide solutions through a draft regulation framework. Produce best EU
wide applicability of the drafted regulatory template by the experience and scope of the GTR-H
team. Implement this template in Ireland, Hungary, Poland and Northern Ireland, UK andfacilitate the use of a common template for future EU standardization. This process will outline
and encourage investment of GEE by private and public sector partnerships.

NEWS FROM EGEC MEMBERS
GEOTHERMAL PROJECT IN BLEISWIJKDutch Greenhouse Company drills 1700m for geothermal energy
Horticulturist A+G van den Bosch in Bleiswijk, the Netherlands, will be using deep geothermalenergy for growing its tomatoes. Research on heating a 7.2 hectare greenhouse with geothermalenergy was conducted at the end of 2005 by the Dutch research center TNO. TNO found that thegreenhouse in Bleiswijk (Province of Zuid-Holland) offered a suitable geothermal location due
to two productive geological formations 1500 – 1750 meters below the surface (Rijswijk andBerkel formation).
The temperature gradient is 3.18 0C per 100 meter at an average surface temperature of 11 0C.
The expected water temperature at a depth of 1700m is therefore 65 0C and it is expected thatgeothermal water can be produced at a rate of approximately 150 m3 per hour. Savings on natural
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gas will amount to 3 million m3 per year. The geothermal well is expected to come on-stream in
the coming winter – fully replacing the natural gas.
Drilling has started
Recently the drilling of the two wells was commissioned. The first phase will be conducted using
a relatively light drilling rig. In the second phase a heavier rig will be used to widen and deepen
the well to it’s projected depth of 1700 – 1750 meters. This stage of the project will last between
50 and 70 days. As the sandy layers are not directly underneath the greenhouse the total length of
the well is nearly 2500 meters. The drilling on the second well will be started as soon as the firstwell has been tested successfully. The drilling contract is commissioned – on behalf of thehorticulturist - by Visser & Smit Hanab, a large construction firm specialized in installation ofunderground utilities and pipeline construction. The drilling is conducted by Daldrup AG and isoverseen by PGMI (well construction and drilling engineering & management), with among
others IF Technology in its design team. Total costs of the project are roughly 5 million euro.
Support
The project was widely and actively supported by the Dutch government. The Ministry of
Economic Affairs (through it’s SenterNovem agency) and The Provincial Authorities of ZuidHolland allocated an investment (demonstration) grant and the Ministry of Agriculture, Natureand Food Quality and the Horticultural Product Board offered to guarantee the risk of finding atight well. Though this risk is considered to be low, the availability of a guarantee is obviously
an important consideration for the decision to go ahead with the project.
Landmark projectA+G van den Bosch is the first horticulturist in The Netherlands to use deep geothermal energy
for it’s greenhouses. The project is also an important milestone in the development of geothermalenergy in The Netherlands in the sense that it is the first geothermal well at this depth. Earlier
this year the Municipality of Heerlen drilled to a depth of 800 meters. It is expected that theseexamples will inspire a wider group of both horticulturists and town planning authorities toinvestigate the potential of geothermal energy.
More information
More information with respect to this project and/or the development of geothermal energy in
The Netherlands can be obtained at the ‘Foundation Platform Geothermie’.
Stichting Platform Geothermie
E.V. van Heekeren
Telephone +31-70-3244043
e-mail info@geothermie.nl
www.geothermie.nl

BRGM CREATES A DEPARTMENT DEDICATED TO GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
BRGM has just created a new “geothermal energy department”. In the context of rising energy
prices and the necessity to combat climate change, the creation of a dedicated department shows
BRGM’s will to contribute to the development of all kinds of geothermal energy, from highenergy to low energy and ground source coupled heat pumps.
BRGM’s activity already addresses these different fields, through several research programs,
support for public policies and commercial contracts. Moreover, BRGM owns two subsidiaries
dealing with geothermal energy : CFG Services, a service and engineering company specialisedin geothermal energy, and Géothermie Bouillante that runs Bouillante geothermal power plant in
Guadeloupe.

11This new department, with a staff of a dozen engineers, takes over the whole activity linked withgeothermal energy previously realised by different units. Moreover, it shall promote geothermalenergy and its differents uses together with the ADEME, the French Environment and Energy
Management Agency.
It is headed by Fabrice Boissier, who was before in charge of the service responsible for theenvironmental inspection of industrial installations in region Languedoc Roussillon.
BRGM is France’s leading public institution in the Earth Science field for the management of
natural resources and surface and subsurface risks. Its activity is implemented in the frameworkof three missions : scientific research, support for government policy, international cooperationand development assistance.

ENGINE CREATES AN ENHANCED GEOTHERMAL INNOVATIVE NETWORK FOR
EUROPEThe ENGINE European coordination action was launched last February in BRGM (Orléans,France). It aims to state the art in order to promote Enhanced Geothermal Systems. During
30 months, ENGINE coordinates 35 partners representing 16 European and 3 non-European
countries including 8 private companies, on a grant of 2,3 M€ from the European Commission.
3 conferences and 7 workshops are scheduled along the coordination action. After the Launching
Conference, the 2006 workshops took place in Zurich (Switzerland), Strasbourg (France) and
Potsdam (Germany) to set the state of the art about reservoir stimulation, electricity generation
and reservoir assessment. The forthcoming meetings are:
§ The Mid-Term Conference, Postdam,Germany, 10-12/01/2007.
§ Supercritical fluid reservoir workshop, Pisa, Italy, 26-27/04/2007.
§ High-temperature drilling workshop, Reykjavik, Iceland, 28-29/06/2007.
§ Policy makers and public implications workshop, Milos island, Greece, 13-14/09/2007.
§ Risk analysis workshop, Utrecht, The Netherland, 8-9/11/2007.
§ The Final Conference, Vilnius, Lithuania, 13-14/02/2007.
More information is available on the ENGINE Web site: http://engine.brgm.fr

Participants to the ENGINE Workshop in Zurich (Switzerland).
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EVENTSENGINE
The Mid-Term Conference, Postdam,Germany, 10-12/01/2007.
2nd WORKSHOP – GROUND REACH : 24.01.2007 : Vienna – Austria
Contact: Arsenal Wien, programme and registration for download at:
http://www.arsenal.ac.at/downloads/einladung.pdf
EU SUSTAINABLE ENERGY WEEKIn Brussels :- EU Renewable Policy Conference- Sixth Annual ManagEnergy conference for local energy actors- Seminars and workshops proposed by European regional authorities, networks and tradeassociations- Financing Local and Regional Sustainable Energy Solutions : 01/02/2007 at the Committeeof the Regions, rue Belliard 101 – Brussels. www.fedarene.org
Those who cannot come to Brussels to take part will have the opportunity to participate in a
number of related national, regional or local events, including• The Energy Days of the Brussels Region (Belgium) on the following weekend.
• Les Assises de l'Energie in Grenoble (France)• The meeting of the European Buildings Directive Platform in Dublin (Ireland)• The Spanish Sustainable Energy Week in Murcia (Spain).
You can obtain more details and register for the EU Sustainable Energy Week on :www.eusew.eu
EUROPEAN RENEWABLE ENERGY POLICY CONFERENCE : 29.-31.01.2007 :Brussels
Contact: EREC www.erec-renewables.org
Email: conference@erec-renewables.org
3rd WORKSHOP – GROUND REACH : 08.02.2007 : Orléans – France
Contact: BRGM
f.jaudin@brgm.fr
67th annual meeting of Deutsche Geophysikalische Gesellschaft (DGG)
Held in Aachen next year from March 26-29.
For the first time in 2007, a DGG annual meeting will offer a continuous English program in five
topical convened sessions, besides the regular German-language program. The topics of these
symposia are:• Hydrogeophysics,• Geothermal Energy,• High-Performance Computing in Geoscience,• Sedimentary Basin Dynamics, and• Scientific Drilling.
For more information on the meeting, visit http://www.dgg2007.rwth-aachen.de/ .

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RENEXPO® CENTRAL & SOUTH EAST EUROPE : 19-21.04.2007 : Budapest
Fairgrounds, Budapest – Hungary
Contact: REECO GmbH
mailto:hegner@energie-server.de
www.energy-server.com

The RENEXPO® Central & South East Europe, taking place from April 19-21, 2007 on the
Budapest Fairgrounds, brings together major players within the south-eastern European
renewable energies sector. Approximately 100 exhibitors – manufacturers, planners, energy
suppliers, experts from research and development, associations, members of the media, ministers
and public authorities – will present the entire spectrum of renewable energies as well as energy
efficient construction and renovation to visitors.
A three-day congress unites experts from the political and economic spheres with associations,members of the media and operators. The participants of this high quality specialized congress,
as well as accompanying workshops, receive comprehensive information concerning legal andfinancial issues, current technologies and their application, as well as future market trends andimplementation strategies.
Support for the RENEXPO® comes directly from government circles. The Hungarian statesecretary Imre Németh attended RENEXPO® Augsburg in September of this year, making
numerous contacts with representatives from politics and economy. State secretary Hans
Spitzner from the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, as well as representatives from thestate parliament confirmed their cooperation for the event in Budapest.
In Hungary, the trade associations for bioenergy, cogeneration, solar energy, wind energy, thebioenergy cluster and the economic network LEADER are on the extensive list of supporters.
From Germany, the Bavarian Competence Centre for the Environment (KUMAS) has pledged its
support in promoting RENEXPO® Budapest.
The resonance of the trade fair is also quite large outside of Europe. The Australian foreign tradeorganisation and members of the Chinese solar industry have confirmed their participation in
Budapest.
It is to be expected that strong market impulses will carry over into the entire south-eastern
European region. Countries such as the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Bosnia,
Serbia, Croatia and the Ukraine are included in the concept of the trade fair. Germany, a leading
country within the context of renewable energy, will serve as the official partner country of
RENEXPO® Central & South East Europe.
Istvan Varga, managing director of the trade fair organizer, REECO Hungary, made following
statement: “RENEXPO® in Budapest will become a highlight of the south-eastern European
market.”EUROPEAN GEOTHERMAL CONGRESS : 30.05.-01.06.2007 : Unterhaching, Germany
Contact : Geothermische Vereinigung e.V. - Bundesverband Geothermie / GtV-BV
info@egc2007.de
web: www.egc2007.de
POWER-GEN EUROPE : IFEMA FERIA DE MADRID : 26-28.06.2007 : Madrid – Spain
Contact: Renewable Energy Europe : samantham@pennwell.com

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