DEEP GEOTHERMAL HEAT AND POWER

That this House recognises the UK is well-placed to harness deep geothermal technology to generate renewable heat and power, but requires urgent government support to enable the UK industry to catch up with Europe where over 400MW of power projects are in planning; notes that advances in technology are enabling development beyond traditional geographical areas with the potential to supply up to 10 per cent. of UK on-demand power; regrets however that 2010 grant support by the Department for Energy and Climate Change for the entire deep geothermal sector, both heat and power, has been cut in half and that the UK is one of the few countries in Europe where it is not possible to obtain exploration licences; and urges the Government to legislate for exploration licensing in the Energy Security and Green Economy Bill and to ensure adequate support of deep geothermal heat and power under the Renewables Obligation and inclusion in the Feed-In Tariffs and the Renewable Heat Incentive.