From 18 to 20 November 2025, the geothermal industry gathered for this year’s Geothermal Congress (DGK) at the House of Logistics and Mobility (HOLM) in Frankfurt am Main. Around 590 participants – once again more than in the previous year – used Germany’s largest industry meeting to discuss current developments, research findings, and strategies for expanding geothermal energy.
We organised the congress together with Fraunhofer IEG, the Hessen State Energy Agency (LEA), and the partner country United Kingdom. The political significance of geothermal energy was evident in the fact that Hessen is taking a pioneering role with new initiatives such as the simplification of legal framework conditions.
In her opening speech, BVG President Dr Karin Thelen emphasised the growing momentum of the industry and the importance of geothermal energy for climate protection, energy sovereignty, and value creation in Germany. In his keynote, Prof Dr Rolf Bracke (Fraunhofer IEG) outlined the necessary steps to industrialise geothermal energy – from scaling drilling capacities to accelerating approval processes.
With around 280 presentations from 18 countries, this year’s programme was particularly international. The United Kingdom, as partner country, presented itself with its own workshop and insights centred around the newly founded National Geothermal Centre.
As every year, outstanding achievements were honoured:
Prof Dr Simona Regenspurg received the Patricius Medal for her wide-ranging scientific contributions and her commitment to networking within the geothermal community.
Dr Hesam Soltan Mohammadi was recognised as Young Scientist of the Year.
A special award was presented to Dr André Deinhardt for his long-standing efforts to strengthen the political standing of geothermal energy.
The poster prize was awarded to Helen Krauß (TU Darmstadt) for her experimental work on the thermal properties of bedding materials.
Next year, the DGK will return to Potsdam and will take place from 20 to 22 October 2026 at the Kongresshotel Potsdam.
We extend our sincere thanks to all partners, sponsors, speakers, and participants for an exceptionally successful Geothermal Congress 2025!
The call for papers for the Geothermal Congress confirmed its upward trend again this year: there were 234 submissions, four more than last year. The trend toward contributions from abroad continues, and this year there are again many English-language contributions, highlighting the growing international relevance of the DGK. Of the 118 submissions, 52 were in English. People from 18 countries are represented among the submitters. The poster competition received 52 entries and the Science Bar received twelve posters.
In November, the most important industry meeting will take place in Frankfurt am Main for the first time this year. You can now register for the Geothermal Congress 2025.
We are delighted to announce the United Kingdom as a partner country of the Geothermal Congress 2025!
With the newly established National Geothermal Centre, the UK is sending a strong signal for the development of sustainable energy sources and the utilization of its largely untapped geothermal potential. Officially launched in June 2024, the UK National Geothermal Centre (NGC) is a not-for-profit initiative between Shift Geothermal Ltd, Durham University and the Net Zero Technology Centre. The aim is to unlock the UK's geothermal potential - for greater energy security, sustainability and CO₂ reduction.
The NGC focuses on:
By 2050, 10 GW of heat, 1.5 GW of electricity and 50,000 new jobs are to be realized and 10 megatons of CO₂ saved.
Despite a huge, barely exploited potential - around 100 times the annual heat demand - only a few plants currently exist. These include a deep borehole in Southampton (since 1986), two Minewater projects in Gateshead and two deep boreholes in Cornwall. Further projects are being planned or implemented in various regions. The NGC networks these activities, promotes new projects and shares knowledge in order to drive forward the expansion of geothermal energy in the UK.
After last year's successful congress with around 1200 participants, the Geothermal Congress (DGK) 2025 will take place from November 18 to 20 at the House of Logistics and Mobility (HOLM) in Frankfurt am Main. The German Geothermal Energy Association (BVG) is inviting submissions with the official Call for Papers, marking the start of the hot phase of preparations.
The DGK is the central industry meeting for all those involved in geothermal energy from a scientific, economic or political perspective. With its flexible premises, proven event concepts and ideal location close to Frankfurt Airport, the HOLM offers the perfect setting for the most important specialist congress on geothermal energy in Germany.
Thematic focus:
The range of topics is once again impressive this year. The lectures and presentations will be devoted to the following areas, among others:
Deep and Medium-Depth Geothermal (e.g. exploration, drilling technology, seismology, reservoir management, system integration)
Near-Surface Geothermal (e.g. post-mining use, cold grids, district solutions, operational planning and optimization)
Heat and Cold Storage (e.g. high temperature storage, ATES)
Energy and Research Policy (e.g. municipal heat planning, approval practice, financing and funding programs)
Submissions of a paper and promotion of young scientists:
With the Call for Papers, the German Geothermal Association invites all interested parties to present their current research results at the DGK 2025. Abstracts can be submitted until June 30, 2025. Young scientists are also invited to take part in the Science Bar. The Science Bar poster competition offers the opportunity to present bachelor's, master's or doctoral theses to a specialist audience. The best presentation will be awarded the Young Scientist Prize. The long versions of the papers can be submitted from September - ideally by shortly before the start of the congress. Each contribution will receive a DOI number via Zenodo. Presentations can also be published in the digital conference proceedings.
Further information and the possibility of submission can be found at:
www.der-geothermiekongress.de/en/program/call-for-papers
For questions regarding submissions, please contact the organization team at dgk@geothermie.de
The German Geothermal Association (BVG) and the LandesEnergieAgentur Hessen (LEA Hessen) announce their cooperation for the Geothermal Congress 2025, which will take place from November 18 to 20, 2025 at the House of Logistics and Mobility (HOLM) in Frankfurt am Main.
On behalf of the Hessian state government, the LEA Hessen assumes central tasks in the implementation of the energy transition and climate protection. As a central point of contact, it bundles initiatives and offers support for citizens, municipalities and companies in Hesse. Its motto is: Activate. Coordinate. Implement. The cooperation with the LEA Hessen enriches the Geothermal Congress 2025 with regional expertise. The cooperation makes it possible to present current projects and developments in geothermal energy in Hesse to a broad specialist audience and to promote the exchange between local players and international experts.
The BVG and the LEA Hessen are looking forward to a successful event that underlines the importance of geothermal energy for the energy transition and provides impetus for future projects in the region and beyond.
The DGK2025 will take place from November 18 to 20 at the HOLM Frankfurt.
The industry meeting with more than 500 participants from Germany and international guests is unique in the German-speaking world.
On two congress days and one workshop day, a wide range of topics from business and research, near-surface, medium and deep geothermal energy will be covered. Thanks to several parallel sessions, a broad spectrum can be covered.
Would you like to be there? Information on participation will follow.
We are already planning next year's DGK at the HOLM Frankfurt. As a sponsoring partner, you benefit from exclusive advantages:
Further information on our sponsorship packages can be found here.
