GEOENERGÍA highly values the publication of this Draft Royal Decree, as it represents a decisive step in the deployment of heating and cooling networks in Spain and in the recognition of renewable thermal sources, particularly geothermal energy. The draft regulation promoted by the Ministry includes key elements for the development of heating and cooling networks. Among them, it provides the necessary flexibility to facilitate the promotion of fifth-generation networks for the supply of heating and cooling, including a proactive policy for the incorporation of all types of waste heat into the renewable thermal mix.
GEOENERGÍA has submitted three priority proposals , which it considers essential to achieving an effective and uniform deployment of heating and cooling networks throughout the country:
Services of general interest
It is proposed to declare heating and cooling networks as services of general interest , on par with other basic utilities such as electricity, telecommunications, hydrocarbons, and water, which have specific sectoral regulations. The creation of this status would provide legal certainty and enable more streamlined and orderly access to the use of public and heritage land, avoiding the need for complex state-owned concession processes, which are limited in scope and ill-suited for these infrastructures.
This recognition would facilitate more efficient deployment on an equal footing with other essential utilities, while also reinforcing its strategic role in the energy transition and in reducing external dependence.
Supporting measures for the use of waste heat
In addition to the cooperation obligations of waste heat source owners, accompanying measures should be established to incentivize their use by both producers and consumers, provided it is technically and economically feasible.
To this end, a system combining incentives and penalties is proposed, considering heat dissipation into the atmosphere as a waste. This measure would contribute to maximizing the use of an available energy resource, reducing energy losses, strengthening the overall efficiency of the system, and generating environmental and economic benefits, aligned with the goals of climate neutrality and the transition toward a more sustainable energy model.
Exemplary role of Public Administrations
It is proposed to make it mandatory for public administrations to contract heat and/or cooling provided by renewable or residual thermal networks, provided that technical and economic conditions allow it. In this way, the administrations would reinforce their exemplary role in the decarbonization of the air conditioning sector, boosting initial demand and helping to ensure the economic viability of the networks in their early stages of development.
This measure would foster a framework of stability for developers and operators, encouraging investment, accelerating project deployment, and positioning public institutions as catalysts for change toward a cleaner, more efficient, and more resilient thermal energy system.
Established in 2024, GEOENERGIA | The Spanish Geothermal Association promotes the consolidation of geothermal energy in Spain as a fundamental renewable solution for decarbonization and a strategic contribution to the Spanish and European energy transition.
Source: Direct correspondence via our Spanish language platform PiensaGeotermia
