EnvironmentalAND SOCIAL IMPACTS OF GEOTHERMAL

Geothermal energy is low-carbon and runs around the clock, but its development carries environmental and social risks that can delay or end projects. This Geologic® review examines those risks in the context of the project life cycle, from exploration and construction to operation and decommissioning, drawing on the scientific literature and on case studies from several countries that cover both conventional hydrothermal and enhanced geothermal systems. It then sets each risk against the technologies, practices and policies that manage it.

Induced seismicity is one of the most significant concerns, especially for enhanced systems: the events are usually microseismic and not felt, but in some cases they have been large enough to stop a project, while studies indicate that seismicity causing major damage has been rare over a century of deployment. Binary plants that keep the fluid in a closed loop significantly reduce or eliminate atmospheric emissions. Geothermal is less water-intensive than coal or nuclear but more than solar or wind, which matters in water-scarce regions. Public acceptance turns on trust, fair process and fair sharing of benefits, and the review finds that a geothermal-specific framework for assessing sustainability is still lacking.