Landgard is supporting a geothermal project led by the city of Straelen, which is investigating possibilities for using deep geothermal energy and is intended to promote the switch to a future-proof climate-neutral heat supply for horticulture in the Straelen region.
In September, Economics and Energy Minister Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart visited Straelen to see for himself the current status of the "Deep geothermal energy to decarbonize the heat supply for greenhouse operations in Straelen" project. Accompanied by Mayor Bernd Kuse, Ulrich Heufs from Landgard Producer Management, Thomas Korff from Landgard West Obst & Gemüse, and representatives of the Fraunhofer IEG, other project partners and from politicians, he is visiting the Draek horticultural farm (left), Landgard reports.
Funding for feasibility study
In April, the city of Straelen was awarded funding of up to 500,000 euros to carry out a feasibility study in the state competition "Heat from deep geothermal energy in NRW", which was organized by the Ministry for Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalization and Energy. Fraunhofer IEG, which conducts application-oriented research on geothermal energy and energy infrastructures, has taken on the scientific monitoring of the project. Dr. Frank Strozyk, Head of Transfer and Communication at Fraunhofer IEG, now presented the next project steps during the minister's visit and emphasized: "We are in the starting blocks. Now it is important to quickly coordinate the release of the funding with the ministry. If things go optimally, we can start the feasibility study this fall."
As part of the one-year study, existing geological data will be evaluated and, if necessary, a catalog of subsequent measurement campaigns will be prepared to close data gaps. The aim of the study is to clarify whether there is enough hot thermal water in the Straelen region at a depth of three to four kilometers to meet the heating requirements of the horticulture industry and other potential customers. Part of the study is therefore also a demand analysis of the quantities of heat that would be required by businesses, public facilities, and residential areas, and to determine how a district heating network could be sensibly built and operated.
If the feasibility study turns out to be positive, it would take another five to ten years before heat could actually be generated from deep water and the consumers in the Straelen region could be connected across the board. These are important perspectives for horticulture in the region, explains Landgard board member Dirk Bader: "Due to the CO2 tax, the energy costs for our member companies have increased immensely. It would be all the more important if the study were to hold out the prospect of an economically and ecologically much more sustainable alternative to previous energy sources in the medium term."
"Deep geothermal energy can make an important contribution to a sustainable heat supply. This applies not only to our horticultural businesses, but certainly in a second step also to housing or our swimming pool," Mayor Kuse explains.
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