Who Is Really Funding Next-Gen Geothermal in 2026? Next-generation geothermal has moved beyond laboratory research into a capital-intensive commercialization phase. In 2026, the most important financing is no longer coming from one investor category: venture capital funds are financing drilling, subsurface modelling and hardware; strategic energy companies are providing equipment, project access and market credibility; banks are beginning to lend against contracted projects; and governments are absorbing exploration and first-of-a-kind technology risk. The strongest financing activity is concentrated in the United States and Canada, but Europe is becoming increasingly important through Germany-based deployment, European Union grants, UK innovation support, and strategic participation from European energy companies. The central investment question is changing from “Can this technology work?” to “Can the developer deliver repeatable, financeable projects at commercial cost?” The 2026 fun...
Košice Turns Up the Heat: Geothermal Energy to Warm the City After 30 Years in Waiting By: Robert Buluma After three decades of anticipation, the city of Košice, Slovakia, is finally set to tap into one of the Earth’s cleanest and most sustainable energy sources geothermal heat. On Wednesday, drilling begins on the long-awaited project “Utilization of Geothermal Energy in the Košice Basin”, marking a major leap toward energy independence and carbon neutrality for Slovakia’s eastern metropolis. From the site of Svinica–Ďurkov, a new deep geothermal well will be drilled, expected to reach a temperature of 135°C and a flow rate of 55 liters per second. Two reinjection wells each plunging roughly 3,700 meters deep will accompany the main production well, ensuring a closed-loop system that reuses and reheats the geothermal water beneath the Earth’s surface. The third and final well is expected to be completed by mid-2026. Turning Vision into Reality The geothermal heating project is be...