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30% of Dutch industrial heat demand could be derived by Geothermal

30% of Dutch industrial heat demand could be derived by Geothermal Drilling rig on site in the Netherlands (source: Daldrup & Söhne AG)
Parker O'Halloran 20 Jun 2017

Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure and Environment, has singed the Green Deal for Ultra Deep Geothermal.

Yesterday, a group including the Ministries of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure and Environment, EBN, TNO in the Netherlands and a consortia of companies have singed the so-called Green Deal Ultra Deep Geothermal (UDG), focused on supplying ~180C steam for use in Parenco’s paper production processes, as well as utilizing the residual heat for district heating in the municipalities of Renkum, Wageningen and Ede.

The support by the Ministry of Economic Affairs in the exploration stage marks an important milestone in the development of Project Renkum as there currently is limited geological data available at the targeted depths of over 4,000 m. Prior to the Green Deal, a regional agreement was signed in December 2016 between consortium members, local and regional governments and a broad group of other stakeholders to support the project.

This Green Deal is part of an agreement with seven Dutch geothermal projects and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, with the purpose to reduce the carbon footprint of Dutch industry by supplying high enthalpy heat. As such it is part of the Dutch Energy Agenda, which formulates a path towards a clean energy system built on renewable energy resources by 2050.