News

Geothermal exploration permits granted in Lower Saxony, Germany

Geothermal exploration permits granted in Lower Saxony, Germany Soltau, Lower Saxony, Germany (source: Rüdiger Stehn / flickr, Creative Commons)
Carlo Cariaga 28 Nov 2022

The newly granted permit areas in Soltau and Uelzen are part of the ten geothermal permit areas that have been assigned in Lower Saxony, Germany.

Germany’s State Office for Mining, Energy, and Geology (LBEG) has granted geothermal prospecting permits for the city of Soltau and the district town of Uelzen, both in the Lower Saxony region. The permit areas were granted to the corresponding municipal utility companies, Stadtwerke Soltau GmbH & Co. and Stadtwerke Uelzen GmbH.

The permits give the respective municipal utilities the fundamental right to carry out exploratory activities in search of geothermal resources. However, the operating plans will still need to be approved under the mining law before the actual exploration activities cans start. The Stadtwerke see opportunities to implement deep geothermal projects for heat generation for commercial use.

Geothermal exploration in Lower Saxony has become more active in the past year. “We have now issued eleven permits for geothermal exploration in Lower Saxony and Hamburg, for which we are also responsible as the mining authority,” said LBEG President Carsten Mühlenmeier. “I very much hope that these deep geothermal projects, which are still in their infancy, will make a contribution to regenerative and environmentally friendly energy supply in terms of climate neutrality,”

In 2021, LBEG announced plans for a campaign to promote geothermal energy to municipal energy providers and municipalities in Lower Saxony as a vital part of the energy transition.

Source: LBEG Niedersachsen