Underground Thermal Energy Storage (UTES) Workshop in Vienna
The International Energy Agency Geothermal (IEA), the GEOTHERMICA Initiative, and the Geothermal Implementation Working Group (IWG) co-organized a workshop focusing on UTES policies and strategies in European member states on the 22 of May 2025 in Schloss Schönbrunn in Vienna. GEORG leads the GEOTHERMICA Initiative Office, as well as the Geothermal IWG Secretariat, and thus has an active role in the activities of these organizations.
Participants from Iceland, Austria, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Norway, Finland, and Belgium attended the workshop. Representatives of public authorities discussed and compared UTES policies in their respective countries, while representatives from BNG Bank, Ruden, Qheat, and Wien Energy introduced successful UTES projects and business cases to the audience. The importance of UTES for the energy transition is increasingly recognized in Europe.
Here you can find the presentations from the workshop:
Session 1: UTES Policies
Germany – Stephan Schreiber
Netherlands – Gerdi Breembroek
Switzerland – Stephan Bolay
Iceland – Kristján Geirsson
Austria – Sandra Braumann
Session 2: UTES Projects & Business Cases
Caspar Boendermaker: Financing and Business Case for UTES
Eivind Bastesen: Tromsø UTES (FTES)
Rami Niemi: Lounavoima UTES (BTES)
Rusbeh Rezania: Vienna UTES (CTES/PTES/TTES)
