| Project title |
UPLIFT – Unlocking Petrothermal Lithologies through Innovative Fracture Technologies |
| Project description |
UPLIFT is a four-year international Horizon Europe project focused on developing safe and efficient technologies for harnessing deep geothermal energy through Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS).
The project’s main demonstration site is the RINGEN Research Infrastructure in Litoměřice, Czechia. New approaches will be validated there at field scale to improve access to deep geothermal reservoirs and enhance reservoir permeability and performance. A key innovation is adaptive hydraulic stimulation: injection parameters will be continuously adjusted using real-time seismic monitoring data to maximise permeability enhancement while keeping seismic risks within acceptable limits.
The project combines technological innovation with environmental protection, risk management, and engagement with the public and other stakeholders. Its results are expected to support the wider deployment of deep geothermal energy as a reliable renewable source of heat and electricity in Europe. |
| Project partners |
- GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences (Germany) – coordinator
- Univerzita Karlova (Czechia)
- Geo-Energie Suisse AG (Switzerland)
- Fraunhofer IEG (Germany)
- Solexperts AG (Switzerland)
- Fraunhofer-Chalmers Centre (Sweden)
- European Federation of Geologists (Belgium)
- ETH Zürich (Switzerland)
|
| Project registration number |
101269511
|
| Funding source |
Horizon Europe – HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-03, Novel approaches to geothermal resources development
|
| Project budget |
12 203 832,50 € |
| Project duration |
48 months
|
| Project start |
1 May 2026 |
| Research activities |
- development of advanced technologies to improve access to deep geothermal reservoirs
- development and validation of adaptive hydraulic stimulation methods
- laboratory and field research into rock behaviour during stimulation
- high-resolution, real-time monitoring of natural and induced seismicity
- development of physics-based digital twins and models to support operational decision-making
- field-scale demonstration of EGS technologies at the RINGEN Research Infrastructure in Litoměřice
|
| Main project objectives |
- Improve reservoir access and establish connections between geothermal wells and natural fracture networks in low-permeability rock.
- Validate safe methods for enhancing geothermal reservoir productivity while maintaining controlled seismic risk.
- Reduce the cost of multi-stage stimulation and demonstrate the technical, commercial and social viability of EGS technologies under European conditions.
- Strengthen public trust and social acceptance of deep geothermal energy.
|
| Main outputs and results |
- field-scale demonstration of a multi-stage EGS system at the RINGEN site
- a Micro Turbine Drilling (MTD®) prototype to improve reservoir access
- validation of an adaptive stimulation approach guided by real-time seismic monitoring
- advanced digital models and digital twins for the design, optimisation and management of geothermal operations
- improved methods for monitoring and managing induced seismicity
- approaches supporting the safe, cost-effective and socially acceptable deployment of EGS in Europe
|
