France is making a new push to develop geothermal energy. The goal is to reduce the carbon emissions that contribute to global warming while ensuring the nation’s energy independence. Hydraulic fracturing for oil and natural gas was banned in France in 2011, and the government of President François Hollande has pledged to reduce the country’s dependence on nuclear power from 75 percent of electricity produced to 50 percent by 2025. It thus makes sense to develop geothermal energy.
Metropolitan Paris already has the world’s second-largest concentration of geothermal wells after Iceland, heating 170,000 homes, but geothermal development has lagged after an initial push in the 1980s. The minister of ecology, sustainable development and energy, Ségolène Royal, intends to change that. A bill aimed at unleashing private investment in renewable energy is expected to be submitted to the National Assembly next month.
Read More......
