The Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) of Spain has announced that work has started on a geothermal heating project at the site of its headquarters in Madrid.
The system will have a thermal capacity of 1.2 MW and is being supported with EUR 4.3 million from the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan (PRTR). When completed, this will be the biggest geothermal project in Madrid. The system is expected to be operational by April.
“The solution for clean, cheap, and secure energy isn’t thousands of miles away; it’s here, under our feet. This Ministry headquarters will be a tangible example of that transformation. Because legislation alone isn’t enough: the energy transition also begins in our own homes,” said Sara Aagesen, the Vice President and MITECO Minister, during the presentation of the project.
The project will involve the drilling of 106 wells, each to a depth of around 150 meters, across three geothermal fields. It will allow for almost 100% replacement of oil currently used for heating and climate control. The project will reduce CO2 emissions, be more efficient than traditional systems, and save up to 1 million liters of water currently used by chillers and cooling towers.
The geothermal works are in addition to other energy efficiency interventions that have been developed by MITECO since January 2025 and include the installation of photovoltaic panels on roofs, improvements to the building envelope, lighting, elevators and sustainable mobility. Together, these initiatives will reduce CO2 emissions at the site by more than 400 tons per year.
Spain maintains a two-pronged geothermal development strategy – shallow geothermal as the more mature option in Peninsular Spain, and deep geothermal energy for potential electricity generation in the Canary Islands.
Source: MITECO
