A sidetrack well will be drilled from an existing borehole to expand the capacity of the geothermal power plant operated by Erdwärme Neustadt-Glewe GmbH in the district of Ludwiglust-Parchim of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The project was announced by German drilling company Daldrup & Söhne AG after being awarded the drilling order for the sidetrack well which will cost around EUR 3 million.
Drilling is scheduled to start by July 2023 and be completed by August. Daldrup has recently been contracted for the drilling operations in the Schwerin geothermal project, also in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
The Neustadt-Glewe geothermal power plant holds the distinction of being the oldest geothermal power plant in Germany. Originally a heating plant commissioned in 1994, power generation was added to the facility using ORC technology in 2003. It currently has a capacity of 13 MW and now stands to gain an additional 2 MW from the sidetrack well. This is roughly equivalent to the power requirement of around 200 new households.
The expansion of the capacity of the geothermal power plant will contribute to the goal of Neustadt-Glewe of being carbon-neutral by 2030. The subsurface of the North German Basin in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern offers optimal conditions for geothermal energy development for cities and municipalities. allowing for regional value creation and energy independence.
