Jul 31, 2025
The Czech Republic has released a plan of action for the advancement of geothermal energy.
The Czech Republic's government, through the Ministry of Energy, has released an action plan to develop geothermal energy for heating, in conjunction with strategies to enhance energy security and reduce reliance on fossil fuel imports.
This Action Plan specifically targets low-potential renewable heat and waste heat, encompassing geothermal heat, ambient heat (from air and water), and low-temperature waste heat, with heat pumps playing a crucial supporting role.
To identify promising geothermal energy areas, the Czech Geological Survey, funded by the Ministry of the Environment, has developed subsurface temperature maps. The document titled “Development of the use of geothermal energy in the Czech Republic” indicates that the geothermal energy potential is adequate to gradually replace a significant portion of mainly small and medium-sized thermal energy sources (0.1-20 MW).
The Czech Geothermal Energy Commission is also interested in utilizing water from flooded mine shafts to extract geothermal energy, as well as storing excess heat through borehole thermal energy storage (BTES).
Currently, there are only four deep wells providing geothermal heat in the Czech Republic – located in Decín, Ústí nad Labem, Mušov, and Pasohlávky. The Decín well supplies roughly 35% of the heat for the connected network and is the only major operational geothermal source for thermal supply networks in the country. The Mušov and Pasohlávky wells serve local aquaparks but are not linked to any thermal energy network.
In contrast, approximately 30,000 small groundwater heat pumps are installed nationwide, connected to surface collectors or shallow well systems. This indicates significant expertise in the technology, with public awareness already high.
The Czech Geotechnical Society estimates shallow geothermal energy's technical potential at around 300 GWt, while deep geothermal energy is in the high hundreds of MWt. However, the 350 usable boreholes for temperature measurement are deemed insufficient for a more precise assessment of geothermal potential.
To support future development, comprehensive backing for low-potential renewable heat and waste heat is strongly recommended, given that high-potential heat sources (from biomass, biogas, etc.) currently dominate renewable energy. The development of low-potential heat is viewed as a largely untapped opportunity.
Geothermal energy is regarded as a viable option to shift thermal energy networks away from fossil fuel sources, especially in smaller networks due to the constraints of low-temperature geothermal resources.
Anticipated conflicts relating to public interests, such as the protection of water sources, medicinal resources, karst areas, mining activities, and landslide risks, may arise during geothermal expansion. Addressing these conflicts will require a transparent, evidence-based approach, similar to current Ministry of the Environment efforts for wind and solar projects.
To facilitate the advancement of deep geothermal energy, it is essential to mitigate drilling risks by exploring foreign practices (e.g., in France) and considering revolving funds or insurance to cover initial well failure risks. Moreover, significantly enhancing the knowledge of geothermal energy in the Czech Republic is necessary, including expanding the network of exploratory wells.
This Action Plan specifically targets low-potential renewable heat and waste heat, encompassing geothermal heat, ambient heat (from air and water), and low-temperature waste heat, with heat pumps playing a crucial supporting role.
To identify promising geothermal energy areas, the Czech Geological Survey, funded by the Ministry of the Environment, has developed subsurface temperature maps. The document titled “Development of the use of geothermal energy in the Czech Republic” indicates that the geothermal energy potential is adequate to gradually replace a significant portion of mainly small and medium-sized thermal energy sources (0.1-20 MW).
The Czech Geothermal Energy Commission is also interested in utilizing water from flooded mine shafts to extract geothermal energy, as well as storing excess heat through borehole thermal energy storage (BTES).
Currently, there are only four deep wells providing geothermal heat in the Czech Republic – located in Decín, Ústí nad Labem, Mušov, and Pasohlávky. The Decín well supplies roughly 35% of the heat for the connected network and is the only major operational geothermal source for thermal supply networks in the country. The Mušov and Pasohlávky wells serve local aquaparks but are not linked to any thermal energy network.
In contrast, approximately 30,000 small groundwater heat pumps are installed nationwide, connected to surface collectors or shallow well systems. This indicates significant expertise in the technology, with public awareness already high.
The Czech Geotechnical Society estimates shallow geothermal energy's technical potential at around 300 GWt, while deep geothermal energy is in the high hundreds of MWt. However, the 350 usable boreholes for temperature measurement are deemed insufficient for a more precise assessment of geothermal potential.
To support future development, comprehensive backing for low-potential renewable heat and waste heat is strongly recommended, given that high-potential heat sources (from biomass, biogas, etc.) currently dominate renewable energy. The development of low-potential heat is viewed as a largely untapped opportunity.
Geothermal energy is regarded as a viable option to shift thermal energy networks away from fossil fuel sources, especially in smaller networks due to the constraints of low-temperature geothermal resources.
Anticipated conflicts relating to public interests, such as the protection of water sources, medicinal resources, karst areas, mining activities, and landslide risks, may arise during geothermal expansion. Addressing these conflicts will require a transparent, evidence-based approach, similar to current Ministry of the Environment efforts for wind and solar projects.
To facilitate the advancement of deep geothermal energy, it is essential to mitigate drilling risks by exploring foreign practices (e.g., in France) and considering revolving funds or insurance to cover initial well failure risks. Moreover, significantly enhancing the knowledge of geothermal energy in the Czech Republic is necessary, including expanding the network of exploratory wells.