New Geothermie Nederland organisation to unite different players of the Dutch geothermal sector
Two different organisations representing the geothermal sector in the Netherlands unite in founding a single organisation called Geothermie Nederland, or Geothermal Netherlands.
Geothermie Nederland is the name for a new organization for geothermal energy that will officially kick of January 1, 2021. The existing organizations Platform Geothermie (2002) and the Dutch Association of Geothermal Operators, DAGO (2014) will be merged into this new organization. On 10 and 11 December, the members of DAGO and the participants of Platform Geothermie agreed to merge both organizations into one sector organization.
Association of interests for sustainability in the Netherlands
The new organization unites all companies and organizations with a business interest in the geothermal sector. The members will jointly tackle the challenges in the geothermal sector with Geothermie Nederland as the central connector for advocacy, knowledge building, innovation, support creation, information provision and meeting. Geothermie Nederland and its members are committed to developing and exploiting geothermal projects and thus making a tangible contribution to the heat transition and sustainability in the Netherlands.
Membership for business stakeholders
Radboud Vorage, chairman Geothermie Nederland: “As a single organization we now bundle all knowledge about geothermal energy in the Netherlands, which is of great importance to our members and to the energy transition.” In principle, the members of DAGO and the participants of Platform Geothermie remain members of the association. Other parties that are part of the geothermal sector can also become members of Geothermie Nederland. The association starts with approximately 75 members. Government organizations are encouraged to become ‘knowledge partners’. In this way, they can gain first-hand knowledge and practical experience and have a say in the challenges facing the sector. With this, Geothermie Nederland wants to make an active contribution to the heat transition and the availability of sustainable and affordable heat for citizens and businesses.
Challenges to the development of geothermal energy
Frank Schoof, vice-chairman of Geothermal Energy Netherlands: “With this step, the geothermal energy sector combines its strengths and becomes the spokesperson for the entire geothermal sector”. The coming years will be crucial years for the development of geothermal energy in the Netherlands. The expectations regarding geothermal energy are greater than ever before. In addition, high demands are placed on safety and communication with the surrounding area, and support for geothermal projects is not always self-evident. The trade association, together with its members, wants to work on these challenges in a targeted manner. Read more about the ambition, goals and spearheads in the Geothermal Energy fact sheet Netherlands.
Source: DAGO