Munich, Germany geothermal expansion receives EUR 44M in federal funding

Geothermal heat plant of Riem, Munich, Germany (source: Stefan Obermeier/SWM)

Stadtwerke München (SWM), the utility of the city of Munich, Germany, will be receiving EUR 43.9 million in federal funding to support their plans to expand geothermal heating in the northeast section of the network. The sum will cover about 40% of the costs for the project, which had been estimated at EUR 1 billion.

The funding will be coming from the “Federal Funding for Efficient Heat Networks (BEW)”.  This fund supports projects that integrate renewable energy and innovative technologies and is the central funding instrument for the modernization and expansion of climate-friendly heating networks.

SWM had previously stated a target of 400 to 450 MW of thermal energy capacity for the growth of the district heating network. This capacity will be enough to support a quarter of the heating requirements of Munich.  The primary objective is to drill new doublets to support additional capacity for the geothermal plants of Kirchstockach, Durrnhaar, and Sauerlach.

“I am very pleased about this funding decision. It is an important building block for SWM to be able to continue to implement the heat transition consistently,” said said Helge-Uve Braun, Technical Director of SWM.

“According to current plans, SWM will need 9.5 billion euros for the complete conversion to CO?-free district heating by 2040; we cannot manage this alone. We therefore welcome the fact that BEW is being continued. However, we believe that the funds earmarked for this in the future will not be sufficient and therefore appeal to the federal government to review and adapt them.”

Source: Stadtwerke München