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Test drilling at Offenbach part of geothermal assessment of Hessen, Germany

Test drilling at Offenbach part of geothermal assessment of Hessen, Germany Offenbach, Germany (source: Ting Chen / flickr, Creative Commons)
Carlo Cariaga 1 Dec 2022

The test drilling at Offenbach am Main is part of a state-wide initiative to evaluate the geothermal potential of the state of Hessen, Germany.

From December 2 to December 7, 2022, test drilling will be done at the Bieber-Waldholf West area of the city of Offenbach am Main. This is a part of an initiative of the state of Hessen to evaluate the state’s geothermal potential by drilling 17 geothermal exploration wells from 2021 to 2022.

The drilling test project was developed by the Hessian State Agency for Nature Conservation, Environment, and Geology (HLNUG) and jointly executed with the Country Energy Agency (LEA) Hessen. Starting June 2021, drilling of 100-meter deep exploratory boreholes was conducted in the participating municipalities. Thermal response tests were then done on the wells to characterize their potential geothermal sources.

The participating municipalities in the geothermal assessment of Hesse, Germany (source: HLNUG)

As with the other municipalities, the test borehole to be drilled in Offenbach will become the property of the municipality and can be used for heating. Drilling is being carried out on a property owned by the city between Goldbergstrasse and Würzburger Strasse.

Analysis of the rock samples from the borehole and the results of the thermal response tests will be used to create a “profile for near-surface geothermal energy” for each borehole. The HLNUG has already published 14 such profiles. These profiles will help project developers and drillers in planning for more wells and expansion work for geothermal probes in the studied areas.

Source: City of Offenbach and LEA Hessen