Berlin, Germany to expand geothermal drilling program

Bundestag, Berlin, Germany (source: Herman / flickr, Creative Commons)

Carlo Cariaga 10 Aug 2023

The Deep Geothermal Energy Roadmap for the State of Berlin was presented during a Senate meeting by the Senator for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and the Environment, Dr. Manja Schreiner, and the Senator for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises, Franziska Giffey.

To secure the discovery risk, the existing drilling program of 13 potential locations will be expanded nine deep boreholes. Additionally, the planned 3D seismic measurement campaign will now be expanded to cover the entire city area.

A few months ago, Senator Manja Schreiner announced the plan to drill three test boreholes from a selection of 13 potential locations. Schreiner further pointed out that  20% of the heat balance in Berlin can be supplied by geothermal energy – a great opportunity considering that more than 90% of the city’s heating needs is currently being provided by fossil fuels (natural gas, coal, oil).

The State of Berlin intends to coordinate the municipal and private-sector management of deep geothermal energy  to create an optimal and sustainable state-wide municipal heating plan. For this purpose, the State of Berlin is working to submit an application for a coherent mining law permit that will cover the entire city area.

The implementation of the measures would require funds of EUR 98 million. An application from the special fund “Climate Protection, Resilience and Transformation” could be considered for this. A refinancing by the respective project developer in the case of successful drilling is aimed at.

“Renewable energy sources are of central importance for the future heat supply of the capital. In the current analyzes of the heat transition in Berlin, heat from deep geothermal energy is an important component. With regard to climate neutrality, we are making a decisive contribution to the heat transition in Berlin with the Deep Geothermal Roadmap,” said Dr Manja Schreiner, Senator for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and the Environment.

“We are consistently working on making Berlin climate-neutral. However, Berlin will only become climate-neutral if the heating supply becomes climate-neutral – with an intelligent mix of sustainable energy sources. In the dense urban area of the capital, we can show how clean energy supply works in metropolises. Berlin has the largest district heating network in Western Europe. Here in particular, deep geothermal energy can make a valuable contribution to decarbonization and make Berlin a showcase for future solutions. This is good for the people and the added value in our city and the entire region,” said Franziska Giffey, Mayor and Senator for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises

Source: Berlin.de and Berliner Morgen Post