Aachen, Germany to receive EUR 810k state funding for geothermal exploration
Aachen, Germany (source: Lewin Bormann / flickr, Creative Commons)
Carlo Cariaga
12 Sep 2024
Geothermal exploration for heating in the city of Aachen, Germany will be receiving EUR 810,000 in funding from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Stadtwerke Aachen AG (STAWAG), the utility of the city of Aachen in Germany, is set to receive EUR 810,000 in funding from NRW.BANK, the state development bank of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), for seismic exploration as part of the preliminary exploration for geothermal resources for heating.
STAWAG has already done preliminary work and now wants to explore the underground northeast of Aachen in the direction of Stolberg. The total volume of the project is around EUR 1.6 million euros. The exploration is expected to start in autumn 2025 and will cover a total distance of 18 kilometers.
“We have been driving the energy and heat transition forward for years with ambitious goals and concrete measures. To this end, we are planning a conversion of district heating: by 2030 at the latest, it is to be produced without coal and in the most climate-friendly way possible,” said Dr. Christian Becker, CEO of STAWAG.
“We are relying on a mix of heat extraction, large heat pumps, efficient combined heat and power plants and deep geothermal energy. We are already using the hot thermal springs in Aachen, which were popular with the Romans, for space heating. Thanks to the funding from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, we can now go a big step further and have the potential of deep geothermal energy investigated.”
The state of NRW has launched extensive funding programs for geothermal development in April 2024 as part of the “Geothermal Energy Master Plan NRW.” The Master Plan sets a target of geothermal energy accounting for 15 to 20 percent of the heat demand in NRW by 2045. This is equivalent to 24.1 to 33.1 TWh of geothermal heat generation.
“I am pleased that the state can support this project with funding from the Geothermal Master Plan. In this way, we are jointly driving forward the heat transition in North Rhine-Westphalia and laying the foundations for an affordable, renewable heat supply. With the Geothermal Master Plan NRW, we are the first federal state to present a comprehensive strategy to quickly and safely exploit the enormous potential of geothermal energy,” explained Mona Neubaur, Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection.
“Municipal utilities are key players in the success of the climate transition. They make an important contribution to building the infrastructure that will make North Rhine-Westphalia climate-neutral. This is precisely what the STAWAG deep geothermal project in Aachen, which we support and promote together with the state, is all about,” further added Gabriela Pantring, Deputy Chairwoman of the Board of Management of NRW.BANK.
“A climate-neutral energy and heat source is being developed here and secure jobs are being created at the same time. In other words: This is where the future of NRW is being shaped.”
Source: Wirtschaft.NRW
