Potsdam geothermal project produces double the expected output

Rig at Potsdam geothermal project in Germany by EWP (source: YouTube screenshot / SWPPotsdam)

The geothermal production well drilled in Potsdam, Germany by municipal utility Energie und Wasser Potsdam (EWP) has yielded an output of 4 MW – twice the output that was expected. With this development, the new geothermal system can not only heat the 700 or so residential units of new building district under municipal housing holding ProPotsdam, but also feed into the Potsdam heating network.

Eckard Veil, Technical Director of EWP, explained that the team had only hoped to be able to work with an output of 1.8 to 2.0 MW.  The heat output from the well will be enough for the demand of around 5,000 households. Based on this data, Mayor Mike Schubert says that deep geothermal energy could play a central role in the future heat supply of the state capital.

This is a welcome development for the project which has been described as having “exceptional risk.” This is the first time that there has been any drilling for geothermal in the region.

“The deep geothermal energy on Heinrich-Mann-Allee far exceeds our expectations,” says Christiane Preuss, Commercial Director of EWP.  “The system will provide us with more than twice the output than we had expected at the beginning of our project. Our courage is paying off.”

Drilling at the Potsdam geothermal site started in December 2022 and was completed mid-June 2023. Two boreholes were drilled for the project to a depth of around 2165 meters, with the second borehole to act as a reinjection well. About EUR 20 million has been invested for the project, which EWP expects to be able to supply the city’s district heating needs for around 50 years.

A few months ago, the project site Heinrich-Mann-Allee was visited by Chancellor Olaf Scholz to express support for the project and see its current status.

Source: Zeit Online and EWP