Country Update for Belgium

Abstract

Belgium is located in the center of Europe, far from tectonic plate boundaries, volcanoes or other regions of high crustal heat flow. Despite this, over the last 10 years shallow and deep-medium enthalpy geothermal energy has experienced a slow but positive renaissance. Nevertheless, geothermal energy lags behind other renewable energy sources (RES), still making only a small contribution to a rapidly growing renewable energy sector. In this paper we provide an update on the status of the geothermal energy sector in Belgium, with a focus on the developments over the last 5 years. We also discuss the apparent barriers that currently inhibit the industry and the changes that are expected to pave the way for future expansion.