Deutsche ErdWärme starts preparation on first geothermal project site in Germany
River Rhine at Germersheim near Waghaeusel-Philippsburg, Germany (source: flickr/ lLutz Blohm, creative commons)
Alexander Richter
11 Feb 2021
German developer Deutsche ErdWärme has started initial work to prepare its first geothermal project with deforestation of planned drilling site in Germany.
Deutsche ErdWärme started the development work for the drilling site on Monday. At a depth of between 3,500 and 3,700 meters, the preliminary explorations predict an attractive thermal water reservoir.
Around two hectares of forest will have to give way for the construction of the planned geothermal plant in Graben-Neudorf. As Deutsche ErdWärme announced in a press release, the forest authority has given the green light for preparations to develop the property at the future geothermal site.
The approval for the main operating plan has not yet been finalized, but the responsible regional council in Freiburg has confirmed that all the essential requirements have been met. The area has to be cleared now, as such work can no longer take place after March 1st for nature conservation reasons. The company plans to compensate the deforestation with forestation efforts.
The main operating plan is expected to be approved in the first quarter of this year. Then an information event will also take place in the community of Graben-Neudorf – as far as this is possible under current covid-19 conditions.
A close involvement of the local people in the project design is necessary, because the local citizens’ initiative “Tiefengeothermie Graben-Neudorf / Waghäusel” continues to raise the mood against the planned geothermal power plant. As reported by Radio Regenbogen, there is concern about groundwater pollution, radioactivity and earthquakes.
It is important to capture these worries and counteract misinformation. Herbert Pohl, managing director of Deutsche ErdWärme, made it clear in a report by Radio Regenbogen: “We are developing a reservoir at a depth of 3,500 meters. The project is safely piped up to that point. We can therefore rule out the effects we saw in Staufen.
Source: Company release via our German partner website TiefeGeothermie
