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Geothermal Milestone: Heide Project Approved for Existing Borehole Reuse

Reusing an old borehole cuts costs and provides data. The project's success could make Heide the first in the state to be recognized as a mining company.

This is a picture of a city, where there are buildings, trees, poles, roads, vehicles , sky.
This is a picture of a city, where there are buildings, trees, poles, roads, vehicles , sky.

Geothermal Milestone: Heide Project Approved for Existing Borehole Reuse

A significant milestone has been reached in the geothermal energy project in Heide, Germany. The decision to reuse an existing borehole, previously owned by Exxon-Mobil, has been approved. This move is set to save over 20 million euros in drilling costs and provide valuable geological data. The project, initiated in 2008 and focused on borehole reuse since 2015, has been deemed viable and beneficial by the State Office for Mining, Energy, and Geology (LBEG).

The project, led by Heide-Geo, a 100% subsidiary of Stadtwerke Heide, will deepen the borehole by approximately 40 meters and deflect it to reach the target horizon at about five kilometers depth. The expansion aims to tap into a reservoir where water is present in the rock, making a total depth of 150 meters. This process has been made possible by a funding grant of over seven million euros.

Jan Niemann, managing director of City Works, has expressed his delight at the decision, describing it as 'our knighting'. The project's success is expected to make Munster-Bispingen City Works the first in the state to be officially recognized as mining companies. The main operating plan approval by the LBEG has paved the way for this recognition.

The geothermal energy project in Heide is set to proceed, with the extraction of earth's heat in a closed circuit. Hot water from a depth of 5000 meters will be extracted via the existing borehole and returned via a second borehole. This innovative approach to thermal energy extraction is expected to provide significant cost savings and secure geological data, further cementing the project's viability and benefit to the city.

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