Geothermal exploration permit granted for Ortenau, Germany
Carlo Cariaga
19 Jun 2023
badenovaWÄRMEPLUS has been granted a geothermal exploration permit in the Lahr region in the southern Upper Rhine Graben in Germany.
badenovaWÄRMEPLUS, a subsidiary of badenova, has been granted an exploration permit to find possible locations for geothermal development in the Lahr region of Ortenau-Süd in the southern portion of the Upper Rhine Graben in Germany. Preliminary investigations in the permit field indicate a medium-depth geothermal resource at around 1200 to 1400 meters with expected temperatures of 50 to 60 degrees Celsius.
The permit area has a size of around 207 square kilometers and covers the municipalities of Ettenheim, Friesenheim, Kappel-Grafenhausen, Kippenheim, Lahr/Black Forest, Mahlberg, Meißenheim, Rhinau (France), Ringsheim, Rust and Schwanau. The involved municipalities have already been informed by badenovaWÄRMEPLUS and have been involved in the process.
badenovaWÄRMEPLUS had already applied for geothermal exploration permits from the regional council in Freiburg for the areas around Lahr and Lörrach. The exploration permit for Lahr had then been granted by the State Office for Geology, Raw Materials and Mining (LGRB) after a detailed examination. With this development, further investigations can now be conducted in the permit area, allowing for the collection and evaluation of more geoscientific data.
The first results of the study are expected by mid-2024.
“We are tackling this together with the municipalities in the region. The region has the potential for a heat transition under its own steam. The use and expansion of green heat sources such as geothermal energy are key factors here,” said badenova board member Heinz-Werner Hölscher.
As with the geothermal project in Breisgau, badenovaWÄRMEPLUS is committed to providing transparent and reliable communications with the local communities. “Each further step or investigation requires approval and will of course only be carried out after the public has been informed and in coordination with the municipalities,” said Dorothee Fechner, Project Manager from badenovaWÄRMEPLUS.
Source: badenovaWÄRMEPLUS
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