Real estate developer wins tender for geothermal borehole takeover in NRW, Germany
Straelen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (source: Michielverbeek, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Carlo Cariaga
18 Dec 2025
NEW Smart City GmbH has been selected take over a geothermal research borehole in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany following a competitive tender.
NEW Smart City GmbH, an Mönchengladbach-based infrastructure and utility developer, has won the tender for geothermal borehole drilling in the state of North Rhine Westphalia, Germany. The company will then be tasked with providing a suitable location for drilling before the Geological Survey of North Rhine-Westphalia (GD NRW) carries out the drilling by the end of 2028.
Announced in September, the tender by GD NRW on behalf of the Ministry of Economic Affairs aims to ensure subsequent use for a deep geothermal borehole to be drilled as part of the NRW’s research drilling campaign. Research drilling has so far been completed in Krefeld, and another will be drilled in Cologne.
The well will be financed by the state of NRW, thus absorbing the discovery risk. Acquisition by the pre-selected buyer will only occur if the project is successful. The price offered by the companies for acquiring the drilling project was a key consideration in the selection process, as the state of NRW wants to make sure that the investment in successful exploratory drilling will be recouped.
The research drilling is part of the Geothermal Master Plan presented in April 2024, with which the state government is advancing the energy transition.
“Clean, safe, and always available: geothermal energy is indispensable for the climate-neutral heat supply of the future. With our drilling and exploration program, we as a state are taking an upfront investment and resolutely advancing the use of geothermal energy in North Rhine-Westphalia,” said Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection.
“I am pleased that we have found a subsequent user for the next research borehole in NEW Smart City GmbH. This ensures that people can directly benefit from climate-friendly and affordable heat from the subsurface. This will give even more momentum to the energy transition – not only in Mönchengladbach, but also throughout the entire state.”
Source: NRW Business Services Portal
