State Council Daniel Zadra announced the results of the study during a press conference. “We must not and cannot do without any usable options. That’s why we systematically collect all usable energy sources,” said Zadra. He further recounted the results of a study done in 2014 that stated that there is potential for geothermal in Voralrberg to generate 300 GWh of energy, or roughly equivalent to the local biomass heat supply.
Moreover, geothermal development will support the planned doubling of district heating in the State of Vorarlberg between 2018 to 2030, as staid by Christian Vogel, Head of the Energy and Climate Protection Department.
Next steps and learning best practices
Based on the preliminary study, a geothermal resources with temperatures of around 130 °C are expected at depths between 4500 to 4900 meters. The state is currently in the process of preparing a corresponding decision on the conduct of 3D seismic surveys. Zadra stated that it is important to have the results of a seismic survey available regardless of a later operator structure.
At the beginning, the State Councilor will be visiting the community of Pullach in the Isar Valley to learn about other geothermal developments in European regions and cities. Geothermal heat currently supplied more than 50% of households in Pullach with municipal geothermal company Innovate Energie Pullach (IEP) targeting 100% coverage by the end of the decade.
