Exploratory geothermal drilling planned in Erfurt, Germany
Erfurt, Thuringia, Germany (source: Kimberly Vardeman / flickr, Creative Commons)
Carlo Cariaga
31 Aug 2023
The local utility of the city of Erfurt in Thuringia, Germany has applied for funding for the drilling of an exploratory borehole for geothermal heating.
The city of Erfurt in Thuringia, Germany is planning to explore its geothermal heating potential, according to an announcement made by local utility Stadtwerke Erfurt. To this end, the utility has applied for funding from the Federal Ministry of Economics for the drilling of an exploratory borehole to a depth of around 4500 meters.
The borehole is planned to be drilled northeast of Erfurt, near a gas and steam turbine power plant According to Karel Schweng, Managing Director at Stadtwerke Erfurt, the goal for the drilling would be to explore if the granite base underneath Erfurt is a suitable host for deep geothermal energy. The utility estimates that the drilling will cost around EUR 40 million.
Mayor Andreas Bausewein expressed support for geothermal exploration in Erfurt, “If it succeeds, we can cover large parts of our heat supply with the almost inexhaustible energy under our feet.” It has been estimated that geothermal heat can supply more than 40,000 apartments in Erfurt.
If the financing application is clarified, the utility says that it will probably take two years before the results become available and the plans can be implemented.
There has not been any substantial geothermal developments in the state of Thuringia. A heat flow data study done by GFZ Potsdam last year indicates that Thuringia is one of the regions in Germany that lack good heat flow data.
Source: Sueddeutsche Zeitung
