Japanese firm Marubeni joins new geothermal power project in Bavaria, Germany
Alexander Richter
26 Jul 2019
Japanese company Marubeni joins group that plans the development of a geothermal power project in the municipality of Traunstein, in Bavaria/ Germany. Drilling is to start early in 2020.
As reported by our German partner publication TiefeGeothermie, a recent information event in early July 2019 informed the public about plans for a geothermal power project in the rural district of Traunstein, Bavaria in Germany.
From the spring of 2020, the Geothermal Rupertiwinkel intends to start drilling for a project that is to develop primarily a power generation project.
At an information event, the mayors of the municipalities of Kirchanschöring and Laufen, Hans-Jörg Birner and Hans Feil, presented the current project status to the citizens, as Chiemgau24 reported. Likewise, the municipalities introduced the new partner Marubeni, “who is not a financial investor, but builds and operates power plants”.
The Japanese group is now a shareholder of the already founded company “Geothermie Rupertiwinkel”, the Salzburg AG is still involved, also the two municipalities Kirchanschöring and Laufen. The geothermal project was founded as an intercommunal project, also because it was not clear at the time of the foundation whether it would ultimately be drilling for hot water in Laufen or Kirchanschöring.
The further geological analyzes and the environmental assessment have now set Kirchanschöring as the drill site. “Running is still an option for district heating,” says Michael Perkmann, responsible project manager at Salzburg AG. However, the first hole will be in Kirchanschöring, “then we will see how much water is flowing, how high the bed is, and what temperature the water has.” For “satisfactory results,” there will be three more holes.
According to Chiemgau24, Perkmann explained that the project’s new focus is electricity generation and that the decoupling of district heating might be added later. “If the amount and temperature of the hot water allow it, running could come into play again,” added Laufens Mayor Feil. Initially, the electricity generated in Kirchanschöring will flow to the Froschham substation near Laufen, where it will be fed into the public grid.
Currently the drilling site is being prepared. In addition to the clarification of the power supply during drilling, it is checked whether the existing roads can also take the site traffic. In addition, it is important to measure the surrounding forest and create a sound survey. Completed is already a tender for the hole, the offers of drilling companies already exist.
By the end of this year or early 2020, the well site is expected to be completed so that drilling can begin as early as Spring 2020. The goal is to reach the final depth of the first well by the end of 2020 and then to analyze the temperature and flow rates. 2021/2022 could then see the start of construction for the power plants.
Source: Our German partner website TiefeGeothermie.de
Note: We adapted the first sentence of the article to reflect that the project referenced here refers to the project in Kirchanschöring and Laufen in the rural district of Traunstein, not the city of Traunstein. There are other geothermal projects in and around the city of Traunstein.
