“Geothermal energy plays a crucial role in decarbonization and is thus immensely significant for the future of Berlin’s district heating. Nonetheless, due to high initial investments and associated exploration risks, this sustainable energy source requires thorough preliminary examination,” said Christian Feuerherd, Chairman of the Management Board of Vattenfall Wärme Berlin.
“The findings will offer vital insights into how we can progressively minimize this risk while adhering to the decarbonization schedule. Given its discovery, deep geothermal energy has enormous potential to gradually replace other technologies or fuels in the energy mix.”
This collaboration supports the Deep Geothermal Energy Roadmap for the State of Berlin which had initially identified at least 13 potential drilling locations for geothermal, and proposed a 3D seismic campaign to cover the entire city area.
Vattenfall Wärme Berlin, a German subsidiary of Swedish energy group Vattenfall, operates the heating network in Berlin. With more than 2000 kilometers of lines, it is the largest district heating network in Western Europe and serves approximately 1.4 million residents with hot water heated to 80 to 135 °C. In the future, 7% of the Vattenfall Wärme Berlin’s district heating production in Berlin is expected to be generated from geothermal energy.
“We owe it to our children and grandchildren to explore the potential of this boundless energy resource beneath our feet in Berlin on a large scale. We are thrilled to embark on this journey with Vattenfall Wärme Berlin AG. Geothermal energy, in conjunction with district heating, is crucial for the decarbonization of our heat supply. We are committed to contributing to the ambitious objectives set forth by visionary politicians, authorities and utility companies in Berlin,” commented Samir Abboud, CEO of Innargi.
Innargi had just recently signed another framework agreement to investigate the potential for geothermal district heating in the municipality of Hørsholm in Denmark.
