On September 8th 2011, some associations in Germany which represent and promote the geothermal industry, signed an enhanced cooperation agreement with the aim of a strategic partnership to work toward common interests in the field of geothermal energy. EGEC welcomes this agreement among the organisations, GtV-Bundesverband Geothermie, Verein GeoEnergy Celle and Wirtschaftsvereinigung Geothermie. For more, see the full statement on the GtV website.

As both new partners of GtV-BV are of a more regional nature, EGEC expresses the hope that this cooperation will be open for other regional partners within Germany. However, the EGEC president likes to stress the point that a cooperation of the different nation-wide players within Germany (GtV-BV, Wirtschaftsforum Geothermie and Bundesverband Wärmepumpen – BWP) will be established soon to represent fully the geothermal sector towards German administration and politics. Also for the Geothermal Panel of the European Technology Platform for Renewable Heating and Cooling (ETP-RHC), a national Geothermal Technology Platform in Germany, uniting all relevant players, would be highly desirable. EGEC offers its support for establishing such a platform.