Abstract
BACKGROUND: To be fair and inclusive, the transition to net zero must combine technological rollout with enabling communities to participate in energy decision making. Participation in the energy system can take many forms, and one area with great potential for improving fairness and inclusivity is the siting and implementation of renewable energy infrastructure. In the UK, one emerging renewable energy technology is geothermal energy. Our study aims to understand how the geothermal industry is approaching engagement in a country with limited geothermal development and research into engagement practices. RESULTS: Using qualitative interviews conducted at three geothermal energy sites in the UK, we reveal that the operators interviewed appear to share an ethos characterised by honesty, trust and relationship-building. This ethos underpins good community engagement practices, such as approachability, accessibility, flexibility and two-way communication. We also observe that the operators are proactive in their engagement activities and responsive to queries from local communities. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide an initial analysis of engagement practices in the UK geothermal industry and offer a model of good community engagement practice around geothermal energy. Guided by an ethics of care towards communities, operators can routinely go beyond the minimal engagement requirements of planning. This enables them to address communities' concerns, act on them, and maintain a dialogue between different stakeholders. There is a need for policy instruments to support this approach and establish higher engagement requirements for energy projects. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13705-026-00566-y.