Prenzlau discovers geothermal energy: 44 degrees from a 200-million-year-old ancient sea!

Prenzlau discovers geothermal energy: 44 degrees from a 200-million-year-old ancient sea!

Something is happening in Prenzlau! The municipal utilities have drilled into a thermal water reservoir almost one kilometer deep, which will represent a completely new heat source for the city from 2027. How Focus According to reports, up to 64 percent of the city's district heating needs can be covered by geothermal energy. For several weeks now, an impressive 40 meter high drilling tower has been providing information about the project that could take the city to a new level.

The drill head recently reached the saline sandstone layer of a 200 million year old “primordial sea” at a depth of 93 meters. The water produced has a temperature of 44 degrees Celsius. But that's not all: The plan is to heat it up to 80 degrees Celsius using heat pumps so that the water can be fed into the district heating network. The warm water is pumped at an impressive 130 cubic meters per hour, while the cooled water flows back into the depths at around 15 degrees.

A look into the past

The geothermal energy project in Prenzlau is not a breath of fresh air, but has a history. An attempt was made to operate a similar system in the 1980s, but had to be abandoned due to technical problems. Today, however, the city is determined to take the next step towards renewable energy. The entire project at Thomas-Müntzer-Platz is expected to cost 20.7 million euros, of which, fortunately, 8 million euros will be covered by federal funding.

In order to make the district heating supply more sustainable, the municipal utilities division is currently powered primarily by natural gas, with a remarkable ratio of 82 percent. The goal is to achieve a heat supply based on 100 percent renewable energy by 2030. Geothermal energy should make a significant contribution to this by increasing the quota to 60 percent geothermal energy and 20 percent from a biogas plant.

Hurdles and progress

But not without challenges! The approval process was a real struggle for the municipal utilities. As on the website of the Federal Ministry of Economics As can be read, there are efforts to reduce the legal hurdles in order to make the expansion of geothermal systems more effective. Particularly in the case of deep geothermal energy from a ground depth of 400 meters, changes to mining law, water law and nature conservation law are planned in order to simplify the processes.

However, in Prenzlau there is no requirement to have a district heating connection; The city aims to increase the number of connected buildings from 3,700 to 5,500. A test run in December will show how much heat can actually be produced and whether the long preparation process was worth it.

The potential of geothermal energy

With an inexhaustible source of geothermal energy that causes hardly any CO2 emissions, Prenzlau could become a pioneer in the use of geothermal energy. According to that Federal Environment Agency Deep geothermal energy is a promising technology that not only secures heat supply, but also has the potential for generating electricity. In particular, the large temperature variability and the possibility of supplying environmentally friendly electricity all year round make this type of energy generation more interesting than ever.

Overall, Prenzlau could not only set the course for a sustainable future with geothermal energy, but also make a valuable contribution to the energy transition. The next steps are now crucial. We are excited and hope for positive results from the test run!