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The exploitation of geothermal
reserves has a long history in Europe, especially in France and
Italy. There is about 1200 MW (thermal) of installed capacity for
district heating in Europe, and capacity of nearly 600 MW for electricity
generation in Italy.There are also geothermal installations on Guadeloupe
and in the Azores. Exploitation of geothermal reserves is a high
risk activity, particularly when it comes to predicting the quality
of a resource and securing markets for the heat or power produced.
A number of older geothermal projects need to be upgraded to improve
their productivity, by drilling new wells or improving the quality
of existing wells, for example.
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The priority for EU support
for geothermal projects is to produce increased energy efficiency
and/or cost effectiveness of plants.
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