Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to streamline planning and regulatory processes for deep geothermal heat developments.

In homes and buildings, a heat network is required to make use of deep geothermal heat. The Warm Homes Plan set out our support for low-carbon heat networks, including Heat Network Zoning and £1bn in investment over the course of this Parliament.

It is for heat network developers to select the heat sources for their network, and this may include deep geothermal where it can be proven to provide affordable low-carbon heat. There is limited evidence to indicate that deep geothermal heat could be delivered affordably across the UK.

The government is however supporting several new schemes and will monitor the progress of these schemes before taking any steps to change regulations for deep geothermal heat developments or support redeployment of skills.