Geothermal project in Strasbourg/ France drills hottest well in Central Europe

Reported by our partner site, Tiefe Geothermie in Germany, French geothermal developer Fonroche reports having drilled the firs well in the Eurometropol city of Strasbourg.

Last week, the company announced the first test results with over 80 liters of thermal water per second and a temperature over 200 degrees Celsius.

France, too, has a place of symbolism for the transformation from fossil to renewable energies. In Strasbourg’s district of Reichstett, the location of a former refinery, Fonroche has drilled for geothermal energy since June 2017.  This has been successful as explained by Managing Director Jean-Philippe Soulé last week, “We have found water with a temperature above 200 degrees Celsius, which is the hottest hole in Europe, apart from the volcanic zone in Tuscany. This is an extraordinary result in the European context. In terms of fill, it is more than 300 cubic meters per hour, which can supply 26,000 residents with heat and about 9,000 with electricity.”

At 4,600 meters, the well drilled is the deepest in France. During drilling, maximum safety was ensured to avoid accidents. Among other things, 500 houses in Reichstett were included in advance. Georges Schuler, the mayor of Reichstett, also emphasizes: ” If we really want to evolve towards a less polluted planet, we should also engage with the use of geothermal energy, which must be embedded in a secure legal framework. ”

Source: TiefeGeothermie, France3