Eavor has broken ground on its first commercial project in Geretstried, Germany.
The first project of its kind in the area, the geothermal plant is on track to be producing energy by 2024, and will reach its full capacity in 2026. With building permits for the power plant already approved, construction and drilling will take place concurrently.
“It is a revolutionary concept,” says Daniel Molk, Country Manager for Eavor Germany.
Drilling is expected to begin in late spring and early summer 2023, and “will involve the two largest drilling rigs in our European fleet used,” says Ron Klunder, managing director of KCA Deutag who is Eavor’s drilling contractor.
Think Geoenergy.com first reported the agreement between the Enex Power Germany and Eavor two years ago, after the renewable energy innovators signed a letter of intent to revitalize Enex Power Germany’s exploratory geothermal wells near Geretstried, Bavaria.
The first attempts to drill conventional geothermal wells, between 2004 and 2017, did not produce enough hydrothermal energy to warrant the construction of a traditional geothermal power plant. But, with the use of innovative Eavor-Loop™ technology, the site can be reinvigorated to produce enough heat and electricity to supply an estimated 30,000 households.
Eavor anticipates the baseload power output at 9 megawatts, and estimates a heat output of approximately 65 megawatts during the first phase of development – a consistent stream of green heat energy into which two nearby towns – Geretstried and Wolfratshausen – are interested in utilizing the energy to provide heat to people in the cities thus helping reach their climate targets.