Investment in geothermal energy announced in bid to hit emissions targets

A new multimillion-pound investment into geothermal energy has been announced in a bid to reach emissions targets.

Some £3 million will be invested by the Department for the Economy (DfE) to explore the potential for geothermal power in Northern Ireland.

The project will aim to decarbonise the energy sector, allowing the region to reach its target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Launched today at the Pavilion, Stormont Estate, the project, known as GeoEnergy NI, will examine both shallow and deep geothermal at the Stormont Estate, Belfast, and College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise, Greenmount Campus, Antrim.

Mike Brennan, permanent secretary at the Department for the Economy, said: “GeoEnergy NI is a milestone project of the Energy Strategy Action Plan, which focuses on delivering a reduction in energy-related emissions as part of the pathway to deliver net zero carbon and affordable energy by 2050.

“This project will increase our understanding of the potential role that geothermal energy can play in Northern Ireland’s green economy and future energy mix.”

Using the heat from beneath the Earth’s core as a power source is theoretically more than adequate to supply humanity’s energy needs, but only a small amount of geothermal potential is currently being utilised.

Mr Brennan said utilising the energy in Northern Ireland would bring a range of benefits.

“GeoEnergy NI has the potential to be a catalyst for growth in the geothermal sector. As a reliable, low carbon, renewable energy resource that occurs naturally within the Earth, geothermal also brings with it a host of environmental, economic and social benefits,” he said.

“It will play a vital role in helping the sector to develop, increase Northern Ireland’s future security of energy supply and ensure we can maximise this valuable renewable energy source for generations to come.”

GeoEnergy NI is being delivered by the DfE with scientific support from the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland (GSNI) and a specialist contractor team led by Tetra Tech Europe.

Marie Cowan, director of GSNI, said Northern Ireland had significant potential to benefit from geothermal energy.

“Northern Ireland is very fortunate to have favourable geology with significant untapped potential for geothermal energy right beneath our feet,” she said.

“Building on our extensive data, research and mapping to date, GeoEnergy NI will provide us with invaluable data to help us realise this potential and deepen our understanding of the subsurface even further.”