Geothermal district heating creates enticing incentive for business in Unterhaching, Germany
Hatrium business office building, Unterhaching/ Germany (source: Schwaiger Group)
Alexander Richter
20 Sep 2019
The availability of geothermal district heating has been a blessing to the local municipality of Unterhaching, near Munich/ Germany. Renewable and clean heating is a big driver for businesses settling in the city, as the example of a recent business complex shows.
Revitalising a larger business building in Unterhaching, Bavaria/ Germany, the Schwaiger Group is now working on the connection to the local geothermal district heating network. In the future, this will cover the entire heat energy of the future 29,000 square meter office complex with geothermal energy. This alone results in savings of 195 tonnes of CO2 per year. The First Mayor of Unterhaching, Wolfgang Geisinger, Managing Director of Geothermie Unterhaching GmbH & Co KG and Michael Schwaiger, Managing Director of Schwaiger Group GmbH, signed a corresponding contract in late August 2019.
“Everyone is talking about climate change. In Unterhaching, we have saved around 250,000 tonnes of CO2 over the past 12 years through geothermal energy, “explains Wolfgang Panzer, Mayor of Unterhaching. According to him, more than 14,000 of the approximately 25,000 inhabitants are already being supplied with geothermal energy. “The connection of office buildings such as the Hatrium is an important step to cover the total heat demand of the place even more by geothermal energy. At the moment 60 percent, 75 percent are possible. ”
Michael Schwaiger, Managing Director of the Schwaiger Group:” It is well known that around 40 percent of the local CO2 demand is attributable to real estate. In addition to improved energy efficiency through renovation, the energy source plays an important role. In Unterhaching, we will therefore connect the office complex of HATRIUM to the geothermal supply and make our contribution to the environment. ”
According to Wolfgang Geisingers, Managing Director of Geothermie Unterhaching GmbH, the site benefits from a geological feature. In the underground a huge former coral reef can be found which today is filled with water. From this basin, a 30 MW plant utlising wells with a depth of 3,500 meters produces water at around 120 liters per second of water at more than 120 degrees Celsius. The heat energy is removed from the water and the water is returned.
According to Mayor Panzer, companies such as the food company Develey or the neighboring semiconductor manufacturer Infineon are also using this sustainable source of energy. “Geothermal energy enables us to sustainably improve the CO2 balance. Especially in the current discussion a very effective approach.
According to Schwaiger, the connection to the geothermal network, which will also be used in 2020 for the eight-storey and 8,000 square meter planned expansion of the Hatrium. Schwaiger is aiming for Leed Platinum certification for the entire complex. “Especially with international office tenants, the sustainability of office real estate is gaining in importance.” Mayor Panzer sees the activities of the Schwaiger Group on the ground as positive. “In Unterhaching, we currently only record healthy vacancies and no structural vacancies. Accordingly, the community is located on the planned extensions. ”
In the previous year, the Schwaiger Group expanded its portfolio of core office properties and its presence in the office and commercial real estate market in Greater Munich with the purchase of its property on Biberger Strasse 93. The “Hatrium” is a popular micro-technology site right next to the Infineon campus (Campeon). Anchor tenants include Intel Mobile Communications and Infineon. Just eight kilometers from the center of Munich, important location advantages on the user side speak for the IT center. A direct motorway connection to the A8 and the A995 and 300 outdoor and underground parking spaces ensure good accessibility. In addition, the low trade tax levy of 295 keeps the office location Unterhaching at long-term attractive prices for companies.
Source: Press Release via OpenPR
