France
Source: IRENA Statistics
*Includes the installed capacity in the overseas territory of Guadeloupe.
*More information on specific geothermal power plants can be found HERE.
Plans for geothermal power
| Year | Projected capacity - mainland (MWe) | Projected capacity including French Overseas department - MWe (*) |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 8 | 26 |
| 2025 | 8 | 53 |
| 2030 | 8 | 68 |
(*) excluding import from Dominica
In France overseas department (power)
| (Incriptions des projets de géothermie aux PPE1 DOM) | Guadeloupe | Martinique | Réunion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decrees | décret n°2017-570 | décret n°2018-852 | décret n°2017-530 |
|
2023 objectives (compared to 2015) |
Initial : + 30 MWe | + 50MWe | + 5 MWe |
| Details |
Revised (PPE2): +14 MWe 2028 objectives: + 64 MWe (some of it imported from Dominica) |
40 MWe coming from Dominica | - |
Direct use
| Application | Installed capacity(MWt) | Installed capacity (TJ/yr) |
|---|---|---|
|
Individual space heating |
0.6 |
15.5 |
|
District heating |
509.4 |
5,109.4 |
|
Greenhouse heating |
8.6 |
100.8 |
|
Fish farming |
9.4 |
204.3 |
|
Agricultural drying |
24.0 |
691.2 |
|
Bathing and swimming |
20.5 |
187.2 |
|
Other uses |
10.0 |
92.3 |
| Heat pumps |
1,015 |
10,689 |
|
Total |
2,597.6 |
17,279 |
(Boissavy, et al., 2020)
Plans for geothermal direct use
| Direct use / objectives (TWh/p.a.) | 2017 | 2023 | g>2028 (low) | 2028 (high) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat pump (geothermal) | 3.14 | 4.6 | 5 | 7 |
| Deep Geothermal direct use (Heat) | 1,5 | 3 | 4 | 5.,2 |
Geothermal Institutions
French Association of Geothermal Professionals (AFPG) - The AFPG represents various geothermal energy professions in mainland France and the French overseas territories including drillers, heat pump manufacturers and installers, heat network managers, design offices in geosciences and heat, universities and research organizations, associations and unions, energy companies, investors, etc.
GEODEEP - GEODEEP is a cluster of French corporations and professional associations for heat and power involved in geothermal engineering and power plant development, created under the umbrella of AFPG.
Geothermies - Geothermies is a platform established jointly by Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME) and the French Geological Survey (BRGM) to provide quality information on geothermal energy and support to geothermal projects.
SER (syndicat des énergies renouvelables) - The French Renewable Energy Trade Association (SER) was established in 1993 to promote the interests of industrials and professionals in the sector to public authorities, parliament and all bodies in charge of energy, industry, employment, the environment and research. It groups directly and indirectly thousands of industrials, companies, R&D centers from all of the renewable energy channels: biofuels, biomass, wood, biogas, renewable marine power, wind power, geothermal energy, hydroelectricity, heat pumps, solar photovoltaics, thermal and concentrated solar power.
Geothermal Projects/Programs
*The projects/programmes supported by other partners to promote geothermal development in Europe, including in France can be found HERE.
Guarantee fund for deep aquifers (Fonds de garantie pour les aquifères profonds) - a guarantee against drilling and geological risks; and depletion of the resource throughout utilization.
Guarantee fund for shallow aquifers requiring heat pump (Fonds de garantie sur les aquifères superficiels nécessitant des pompes à chaleur – AQUAPAC) - It is a guarantee for shallow aquifers, less than 200m against a non-productive resource.
The fund for heat development (Fonds Chaleur) - This fund supports the development of heat production from renewable energies by communities, businesses and cluster of houses.
GEODEEP Fund - It is a 50 million euros public-private scheme to guarantee the exploration license holder against the risk of finding a non-exploitable resource, particularly during drilling.
France-Mexican Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) Cooperation Initiative - Mexico’s state-owned utility company CFE will benefit from the French government’s Study Funds and Assistance to the Private Sector (FASEP) starting from 2021. France will provide technical support to CFE’s studies in the geothermal energy field.
Legal and Regulatory Framework
Geothermal exploration and exploitation are governed by the mining law, which confers natural resources ownership (including geothermal) to the state. The licensee of a geothermal license is required to obtain the consent of the landowner.
