Geothermal electricity: "An untapped energy opportunity" (Bertrand de Rotalier, Vallourec)

"Geothermal electricity generation is not widely discussed in France. The topic occasionally emerges, for example in the Netherlands, but overall this energy source remains under-used.," Bertrand de Rotalier, Director of New Energies at Vallourec, told News Tank on 09/03/2026.

Vallourec specialises in seamless premium tubular solutions for several markets, and New Energies is a division that includes geothermal energy, hydrogen storage and carbon transport and sequestration.

"The growth of artificial intelligence has raised questions about the feasibility of carbon neutrality targets set by large technology companies for 2030. The expected number of data centres may make these targets difficult to meet. These companies therefore continue to seek low-carbon electricity sources such as advanced geothermal energy. It's a basic, low-carbon that can provide continuous electricity production while limiting environmental impacts", adds Bertrand de Rotalier.

He answers News Tank's questions.

The French PPE Programmation Pluriannuelle de l'Energie (Multiannual Energy Framework) was…