Drilling approved for heating project in Strasbourg, France
Old part of the city, Strasbourg, France (source: flickr/ Marius Brede, creative commons)
Alexander Richter
1 Oct 2015
Electricité de Strasbourg receives permit for drilling for its geothermal heating project in Ostwald, Strasbourg in the Alsace, France.
Electricité de Strasbourg, the local utility in the city of Strasbourg in France and a subsidiary of EDF, has received the go ahead for drilling activities for its geothermal heating project in Ostwald, Strasbourg.
The project is planning to develop a district heating system and industrial facilities. The project has received lots of public attention and a public engagement process with “significant citizen involvement.”
“The public fears have been expressed, and responses have been made ??throughout the investigation procedure,” said the representative of the state. To address these concerns, the prefect has decided to impose certain “technical requirements”. In particular the control of micro-seismicity, with a certain limit and continual monitoring of the fluid injection pressure. A monitoring network will be installed and work will be stopped at the onset of possible difficulties. Checks should be performed at all stages of drilling, before continuing operations, “insisted Mr Fratacci.
The first drilling is expected take place in the summer of 2016, recently clarified in the local press by one of the project managers, Bernard Kempf. Twenty years ago, ES launched the experimental geothermal project in Soultz-sous-Forêt (Bas-Rhin) and runs a geothermal site for feeding a heating plant in Rittershoffen, about forty kilometers north of Strasbourg.
The high temperature geothermal energy (over 150 degrees Celsius) involves removing naturally warm waters at depth and extract heat to produce electricity or heating. Alsace is considered a region with high potential for this source of energy, the government wants to develop.
Two other projects by Fonroche, another geothermal player, are also under way in the city of Strasbourg. A third, also supported by Fonroche in an industrial area of ??Strasbourg, near Seveso installations, was abandoned after a negative opinion of the investigator.
Source: Connaissance des Energies
