IGC Frankfurt to focus on geothermal heat financing
IGC Invest Geothermal Event 2025 source: © Tobias Schnurr/Enerchange
developer developer
8 Jun 2026
The IGC Invest Geothermal Conference in Frankfurt will examine financing, partnerships, and deep geothermal energy as a pathway to secure regional heat supply.
As cities and industries seek secure, affordable, and climate-neutral heat supplies, the upcoming IGC Invest Geothermal Conference in Frankfurt will place a strong focus on the role of deep geothermal energy in the transition away from fossil fuels.
Taking place on 17-18 June 2026 in Frankfurt am Main, the conference will bring together representatives from municipal utilities, project developers, investors, policymakers, legal experts, and industry stakeholders to discuss financing structures, risk allocation, and partnership models for geothermal development.
Dr. Jochen Schneider, organizer of the Praxisforum Geothermal Energy and the Invest Geothermal Conference, said that deep geothermal energy is gaining strategic importance as a domestic and fuel-independent energy source, particularly in Central Europe where dependence on imported fossil fuels continues to expose consumers and businesses to volatile energy costs.
Geothermal’s role in heat decarbonisation
The conference comes as Germany advances municipal heat planning and works toward climate neutrality by 2045. Much of the country’s building heat demand is still supplied by natural gas and heating oil, prompting municipalities to evaluate locally available low-carbon alternatives.
Deep geothermal energy offers several advantages for district heating systems. Unlike solar and wind energy, geothermal resources can provide continuous baseload heat independent of weather conditions while relying on local energy sources.
Developers are increasingly exploring a broader range of geothermal technologies. Alongside conventional hydrothermal systems that utilise naturally occurring hot water reservoirs, emerging approaches such as Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) and closed-loop geothermal technologies are expanding development opportunities in areas without traditional geothermal resources.
The United States has seen growing investment in EGS projects, including developments aimed at supplying electricity and heat to energy-intensive facilities such as data centres.
Financing and risk-sharing remain key challenges
Despite increasing interest, financing remains one of the main barriers to geothermal deployment. Deep geothermal projects typically require substantial upfront investment and involve exploration and development risks that can be difficult to finance through conventional lending structures.
Public funding mechanisms have therefore become an important part of project development in Germany. Programmes such as the Federal Funding for Efficient Heating Networks (BEW) can cover up to 40% of eligible investment costs, while financing instruments provided through KfW support project implementation.
According to the conference organisers, effective cooperation between municipalities, utilities, investors, and developers will be critical for accelerating geothermal deployment.
“A decisive factor for the long-term success of deep geothermal projects is the appropriate allocation of risks, as well as balanced, professional, and market-oriented project structuring,” said Dr. Torsten Rosenboom of Hogan Lovells, a sponsor of the event.
In addition to the main conference programme, municipal utilities will have the opportunity to participate in a dedicated peer-exchange side event focused on practical experiences with geothermal project development.
The IGC Invest Geothermal Conference is organised by Enerchange GmbH innpartnership with ThinkGeoEnergy and will be held in Frankfurt am Main on 17-18 June 2026.
