Geothermal Drilling Program

Country	Australia
Year Implemented	2008
Policy Status	In force
Date Announced	August 2008
Date Effective	5 November 2008 (initial round of funding opened)
Date Ended	The final funding round closed 4 August 2009. Funding appropriation available until 30 June 2015.
Agency	•Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism
Funding	AUD 50 million
Related Policies	Clean Energy Initiative Australian Centre for Renewable Energy
Policy Supersedes	Renewable Energy Fund
Stated Objective	•Advancing Industrial Competitiveness •Climate Change Mitigation •Commercial Viability •Market Transformation
Policy Type	•Incentives/Subsidies   •Grants •RD & D   •Demonstration Project   •Research Programme     •Technology Deployment and Diffusion
Policy Target	•Geothermal   •Power
Policy Sector	•Electricity
Size of Plant Targeted	Large
Description	The Geothermal Drillling Program (GDP) is an Australian Government commitment to maintaining a strong and internationally competitive economy with a lower greenhouse gas signature. T he GDP provides assistance to companies developing geothermal resources with the cost of proof-of-concept projects including geothermal drilling, reservoir development and associated activities. The GDP is a competitive merit-based grants programme provided as a dollar-for-dollar matched funding up to 50% of the total eligible expenditure and is capped at AUD 7 million per proof-of-concept project. The final round of funding has closed, with 7 projects each receiving AUD 7 million.
URL	www.ret.gov.au/energy/energy%20programs/cei/acre/gdp/Pages/default.aspx