The AquaCOM project is about community. It’s about thousands of stakeholders in BE,NL,DE,FR and IE working together as energy communities towards a common objective: a citizen-led energy transition. It’s about aquathermal energy as a source of power. It’s about innovation and accelerating the transition to net zero. It’s about behavioural change at local level, policy change at national level, and enabling policy instruments at EU level. Catherine Smyth, Project Manager, will map out how AquaCOM is responding to these objectives by building two aquathermal demonstrator projects and working collaboratively with 15 ‘Early Adopter’ communities throughout North-West Europe.
- Cohesion | Energy | EU/ European | International | INTERREG | Local and regional | Rural | Sustainable | Territorial
- Code: 13TK264163
- Jacques Delors building, JDE 61, Rue Belliard 99/101, Brussels, Belgium
Speaker
Practical information
- When
-
Tue 13/10/2026, 16:00 - 16:30 CET
- Where
- Jacques Delors building, JDE 61, Rue Belliard 99/101, Brussels, Belgium
- Type of partnership
- Partnership
- Format
- EURegionsTalk
- Theme
-
Strong regions, strong Europe
- Language
- English
Reporting
Session summary
The presentation highlighted the potential of aquathermal energy as a sustainable solution for heating communities, using water from rivers and other water sources as a renewable energy resource. Through the Interreg North-West Europe AquaCOM project, partners are working to help local energy communities adopt this technology by developing practical solutions, supportive policy frameworks and replicable technical and governance models. The presentation emphasized the importance of addressing regulatory barriers, improving access to financing and building local knowledge and capacity to support wider adoption. Pilot projects in Belgium, the Netherlands and France demonstrate how aquathermal energy can be applied in different local contexts, while the involvement of 16 early adopters shows growing interest in developing community-led heating solutions. Practical examples from Ireland also illustrated the potential for reducing heating costs and supporting local energy transitions. Overall, the project demonstrates how combining technological innovation, community engagement, knowledge sharing and supportive policies can help scale up aquathermal energy and contribute to a more sustainable and locally driven energy future.
Additional links
