Local utility to explore geothermal potential in the region around Freiburg, Upper Rhine Valley, Germany

Freiburg im Breisgau/ Germany (source: flickr/ geoterranaute, creative commons)

In an announcement shared today, the heating subsidiary Wärmeplus, of local energy utility badenova reports having applied for an exploration permit to explore the deep geothermal potential from the Freiburg Regional Council. This affects the region between Freiburg, Breisach and Müllheim. The 19 municipalities that are within the exploration area were informed about the project at a recent event.

badenovaWärmeplus has informed the relevant municipalities between Freiburg, Breisach and Müllheim in detail about the planned application and the considerations behind it. In addition to 19 local mayors from the region, representatives of the regional authorities as well as the regional mining authority and those responsible for permitting took part in the event.

The potential for the development of deep geothermal energy in the Upper Rhine Valley region has long been known and topic in political discussions. The feasibility of utilising geothermal energy as a heat source on a larger scale has not yet been investigated to that extent as planned now. The state government has developed a road map with associations and the scientific community in order to improve the framework conditions for the economic use of deep geothermal energy. It sees great potential and, especially with regard to the heat transition, unique opportunities due to the favourable conditions on the Upper Rhine. The state government of Baden-Wuerttemberg therefore expressly supports initiatives that scrutinize this potential and research it more closely.

In order to be able to carry out such an investigation, a so-called exploration permit is required, which one or more companies/ institutions/ organizations must apply for. The license is granted by the Freiburg regional council, or the State Office for Geology, Raw Materials and Mining (LGRB). The LGRB has now received such an application for a search, in a precisely defined area between Freiburg, Breisach and Müllheim. The applicant is the badenova subsidiary badenovaWärmeplus, which is currently preparing a “deep geothermal energy” feasibility study for the region around Freiburg.

An exploration permit under mining law, as it has now been applied for, is only a fundamental right to be able to seek out a specific raw material in a specified area. The owner is therefore not yet permitted to take any technical measures. The aim of a survey is to find previously unknown deposits or potentials.

Source: Company release