109. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment whether any assessment has been undertaken of the potential for geothermal energy projects in County Cork; and if any Cork locations are being considered for future geothermal district heating schemes. [64553/26]

Geological Survey Ireland (GSI) in my Department participated in the pan-European MUSE project (Managing Urban Shallow geothermal Energy) in 2019, which investigated European resources and possible conflicts of use associated with the use of shallow geothermal energy in urban areas. ?Cork City was chosen as a pilot area for MUSE because it has a long history of shallow geothermal heat use, productive aquifers beneath the city centre, and shallow groundwater temperatures in the vicinity that are elevated with respect to the national average. A factsheet was produced outlining the shallow geothermal characteristics of the Cork City area.

Also in 2019, the DIG project (De-risking Ireland’s Geothermal energy potential) was funded by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and GSI. The project, which was carried out by researchers in the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies and University College Cork, examined the geological characteristics of the Munster Basin and the area surrounding the Mallow thermal springs.

In 2025, GSI drilled three scientific boreholes to gather information on the geothermal potential of the Cork City region. Two shallow boreholes (maximum depth of 300 m) were drilled beside County Hall, and one deep borehole (depth of 1 kilometre) was drilled at Cork Airport. The boreholes contributed valuable geothermal information and have demonstrated potential for large-scale geothermal energy heating and cooling systems for County Hall and the surrounding area. GSI’s summary report recommends that further detailed study by a suitably qualified geothermal specialist should be undertaken to determine the feasibility of a large geothermal heating and cooling network in Cork City.