Deutsche Erdwärme pushing forward with Waghäusel project
River Rhine at Germersheim near Waghaeusel-Philippsburg, Germany (source: flickr/ lLutz Blohm, creative commons)
Alexander Richter
29 Mar 2021
Developer Deutsche Erdwärme has now announced it will proceed with the Waghäusel geothermal power project, the second project for the company in this region of Germany.
Reported this morning in Germany, German geothermal developer Deutsche Erdwärme has now announced that it is pushing forward with the development of the two previously announced geothermal projects Graben-Neudorf and Waghäusel. We previously announced that the company plans to start drilling for the Graben-Neudorf project in 2021.
The geothermal power plant of Waghäusel has a targeted completion in 2025. The company presented its project at an online information event last week with 60 interested parties in attendance.
Project manager Marco Meirich was able to present a suitable site. It is located south of the new industrial area in Unterspeyererfeld and is predominantly owned by the large district town.
A geothermal power plant is to be built there by 2025, which will pump water at a temperature of 160 degrees Celsius from a depth of 3,500 meters. Of this, 10,000 households could be supplied with electricity and heat or 33 gigawatts of electricity could be produced with 8,000 operating hours per year. “This sustainable energy would save more than 27 million liters of heating oil per year,” said company founder and managing director Herbert Pohl.
The scientist with a doctorate first introduced the company. “Deutsche Erdwärme is the largest developer and operator of geothermal power plants in Germany and already has 38 plants in operation and 30 more in the planning stage,” said the CEO.
In addition to Herbert Pohl and Marco Meirich, Ulrich Lotz and Roman Link were also available to answer questions. The advantages for Waghäusel were highlighted. In addition to the seal of approval of a CO 2 -free and climate-neutral major district town, there would be income from the sale of the property as well as the annual trade tax, which would flow 100 percent into the city coffers if a project company was founded. The possible establishment of a municipal heating network for use in households would be the task of the city, while an energy cooperative would have to be established from among the population.
The company representatives rule out any risk
Ulrich Lotz answered questions about the geology and the special advantages of the Upper Rhine Rift. Waghäusel is particularly well suited because the 160 degree hot thermal water is obtained from the existing red sandstone in the depths and not – as in Strasbourg or Landau – from the basement. For this purpose, an extensive soil survey with 3D seismics was carried out in the region in winter 2019. In Strasbourg, on the other hand, no 3D data was used, explained the company representatives.
The project is already concrete: negotiations with the city of Waghäusel are to be concluded this year and a preliminary building request is to be made. After the drilling site has been set up, the drilling and construction of the power plant is to begin in 2023, before commissioning is expected in 2025.
Many questions dealt with the security concept and liability. There is no danger for the Wiesentaler Mineralbrunnen company, which pumps its water from a depth of 118 meters, with triple protection against the layers of groundwater. Insurance coverage is available up to a total of EUR 40 million. Seismic monitoring is being set up within a five-kilometer radius of the system that records data and, thanks to a traffic light control, would switch the system off even in the event of faults in a small area.
Source: BNN
