Straelen was one of the three territories in the NRW region that was chosen back in 2021 as the winners of the “Heat from deep geothermal energy for North Rhine-Westphalia” state competition.
In November 2023, the Ministry of Economics, Industry, Climate Protection, and Energy NRW (MWIKE NRW) announced the conduct of 2D seismic studies to assess the region around Straelen for its geothermal potential. This is part of the “Deep” project which explores the utilization for deep geothermal energy. The project is being implemented by the city of Straelen along with the NRW state government and Fraunhofer IEG.
The 2D seismic survey indicated the presence of a limestone layer that can potentially host a geothermal resource. However, exploratory drilling will have to be done to confirm if the limestone contains any fluids. For this, Straelen has already filed an application for test drilling to the mining authority in Dortmund.
Incidentally, the municipalities of Kerken and Wachtendonk joined Straelen in applying for the exploration permit for drilling. The mayors of the two municipalities co-signed the declaration of intent with Straelen, as the exploration drilling can also be done within their territories.
Thomas Linßen, the geothermal manager of Straelen, said that they expect to receive the green light to proceed with drilling by the 1st quarter of 2024. However, it may still take a whole year before drilling actually starts.
