GEORG and ORKIS at WGC 2026: multiple events, one message

The World Geothermal Congress convenes every five years and is the single largest gathering of geothermal professionals globally. When WGC 2026 opens in Calgary on 8 June, it arrives at a moment of unusual strategic weight: geothermal energy has moved from niche resource to active policy priority in energy transition plans across Europe, North America, and Asia. The question is no longer whether geothermal belongs in the mix,  it is whether the institutions shaping its deployment can move fast enough to meet the ambition.
At WGC 2026, GEORG Geothermal Research Cluster, now operating as part of the newly formed ORKIS energy cluster, will be present not as an observer, but as an organiser.

The week begins on 7 June, the day before the main congress opens, with a Symposium on Underground Thermal Energy Storage co-organised by GEORG on behalf of the GEOTHERMICA Initiative and IEA Geothermal. The symposium focuses on underground thermal energy storage (UTES),  a technology that allows excess thermal energy to be stored in aquifers, mines, and geological formations and retrieved on demand.
The case for UTES is straightforward but underappreciated: renewables produce energy when conditions allow; cities need heat when temperatures drop. Bridging that gap requires storage at scale. The symposium brings together projects from Europe, North America, and Asia to examine what is working, where the barriers lie, and what policy frameworks are needed to accelerate deployment. Around 70 participants are expected. Those wishing to attend can register at geothermica.eu.

On 9 June, GEORG organises a dedicated workshop on superhot geothermal energy, funded through the EPOS ON project. The workshop centres on the collaboration between the scientific community and industry a gap that has historically slowed the translation of research findings into operational projects.
Iceland’s Krafla Magma Testbed (KMT) takes a central role in the programme. KMT is among the most ambitious geoscience infrastructure projects in the world: a plan to drill directly into a magma body and study the conditions at extreme depth and temperature. The science is complex; the implications for the wider geothermal sector are significant, since superhot geothermal resources could dramatically expand the geographic range of viable geothermal development beyond volcanically active zones.
The workshop does not stop at research exchange. GEORG is also developing a roadmap on superhot geothermal,  a practical document intended to guide the sector’s approach to this resource over the coming decade. Registration is open here.

The final event, GEOTHERMICA dialogue on 11 June: a Dialogue on International Collaboration between the GEOTHERMICA Initiative and public authorities from across the world. Regional, state, and federal authorities are invited to discuss how governments can coordinate strategies, align policies, and share knowledge to advance geothermal energy at scale. The GEOTHERMICA Initiative is built on cooperation between national public authorities, pooling mandates and resources for transnational impact. Expanding that membership is a direct objective of the session. Authorities interested in participating can register at http://forms.office.com/e/fuMbztzaan.

GEORG and ORKIS representatives also participate in the WGC programme itself. On Monday at 16:15, Track 11, telus 103, a paper on the GEOTHERMICA Initiative presents the initiative’s model and results to the congress audience, see here. Wednesday’s at 10:45, Maclead Hall, strategic panel, Subsurface Sovereignty: The Global Shift Toward Geothermal Energy, takes up the broader geopolitical dimension of the sector. A further strategic panel addresses resource assessments for UTES, and a paper on social licence to operate examines the community acceptance dimension that increasingly shapes project timelines. The full programme is available at wgc2026.com/program.

See more here

WGC 2026 is also the first major international congress attended by ORKIS, Energy Cluster Iceland, formed by the merger of GEORG, Orkuklasinn, and Íslenska NýOrka.