CEEGEO

Mission statement

The CEEGEO initiative aims to promote knowledge-sharing and best practices in the geothermal sector across the CEE region, including non-EU member states. The CEE countries have similar conditions, notably over-reliance on fossil fuels and biomass in the heating sector with extensive district heating networks, under-investment in innovation, obstacles to long-term financing, and favourable geothermal conditions that are underdeveloped. This is built around an industry core with first-hand technical knowledge that must be conveyed to national, local and financial authorities and institutes to design the right policies and support frameworks for geothermal to thrive. Wherever the conditions are right, geothermal outperforms all other inputs in meeting the energy trilemma; affordable, sustainable and secure.

CEEGEO is a European Climate Foundation (ECF) and Clean Air Task Force (CATF) grantee recipient and a collaborative of the European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC).

Background

CEEGEO emerged at the annual Central European Energy Conference (CEEC) in Bratislava, Slovakia in November 2023. A small group of leading Hungarian and Slovak industry representatives voiced the need for a regional coalition to share ideas, build collective momentum for key government recommendations, and unlock the abundant investment opportunities a race to the top, mainstreaming geothermal energy. The growing momentum was reinforced during the following CEEC in Bratislava in December 2024, which brought together key private and public stakeholders from both Hungary and Slovakia for an exchange of ideas and best practices. It continues to deepen public-private cooperation in these two member countries while expanding to new countries from the region.

Where we work

• Home member countries: Hungary (HU), Slovakia (SK)
• Target member countries: Romania (RO), Poland (PL), Croatia (HR)