“Unlocking Geothermal Energy: Process, Technologies & Opportunities”, an Expert Session hosted by Technovative Solutions Limited (TVS), was successfully held on June 3, 2026, at Hyatt Regency Manchester in the UK, and online as well. The session was recognised as part of the European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) 2026. As the context of this year’s EUSEW is ‘A clean, secure and competitive Energy Union’, the discussion focused on the overview of geothermal energy, one of the most reliable renewable energy resources, and the tools and techniques to harvest it efficiently. The event took place on the second day of the nGEL (Next Generation Flexible Trigeneration Geothermal ORC Plant) project’s General Assembly, which is one of TVS’ flagship projects in the renewable energy sector.
The session was moderated by Dr Shahin Jamali, Head of Monitoring and AI at Fraunhofer IEG. In the opening note, he introduced the EUSEW, the event agenda, the speakers, and the nGEL project to the audience. The speakers panel consisted of Tuğrul Hazar, Assistant Manager at Zorlu Energy Group; Kevin J Mallin, Managing Director at Geolorn Limited; and Dr Mahfuza Ahmed, Collaborative Research Leader at Technovative Solutions Limited.
Tuğrul Hazar presented an overview on geothermal energy. He talked about the development of geothermal energy in the global and European context, and integrated utilisation opportunities. He also explained different types of power plants based on resource enthalpy, including dry steam, flash steam, combined cycle, and binary cycle geothermal power plants in his presentation.
In his discussion, Kevin J Mallin presented state-of-the-art drilling technologies and developments in geothermal resources. He shared his insights on both the key mechanical and non-mechanical drilling technologies used in different scenarios. The presentation was supported by illustrative examples of the technologies. Mechanical drilling technologies mainly include down the hole hammers, while non-mechanical methods include electro-pulse-boring (EPB), plasma drilling, laser drilling, etc.
Concluding the session, Dr Mahfuza Ahmed focused on some necessary tools and innovations required to harness geothermal. She presented some of the innovative technologies that are used to improve the efficiency of the geothermal power plants. However, two particular advanced digital technologies were highlighted in her presentation, which are Decision Support System (DSS) and Digital Twin. Dr Ahmed demonstrated how these technologies are implemented across multiple EU-funded, real-world projects, including GeoHex, GeoSmart, SEHRENE, and nGEL.
Following the presentations, additional questions from the audience and response from the speakers made the meeting more insightful. The questions were focused on geothermal energy’s contribution to a “Clean, Secure, and Competitive Energy Union”; the transition from diesel-powered drilling to electrical systems; the size of High-Temperature Geothermal Storage (HTES); the role of AI in geothermal energy harvesting; long term environmental and geographical impact of drilling; and future bottlenecks and innovations.
The session delivered an insightfulful and comprehensive exploration of geothermal energy, leaving participants with valuable knowledge and practical perspectives . If you missed the session, please click the link to watch the full event recorded!
About EUSEW
The European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) is the biggest annual event dedicated to renewables and efficient energy use in Europe and is organised by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy and the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA).
