Extracting heat from medium-deep hydrothermal reservoirs for municipal heat supply requires adequate reservoir characteristics, suitable extraction techniques, a sufficiently high heat demand and appropriate heat supply infrastructure. Furthermore, the acceptance of local stakeholders and consumers, as well as financial feasibility are crucial factors for the successful implementation of geothermal heat projects.
In the North German Basin (NDB) in particular, there are several deep geothermal projects that have been planned over the years but have never been completed, mostly due to the high exploration and financial risks at the beginning of the project. Some municipalities have already taken the initiative to restart projects.
The aim of this work is to provide technical support for local stakeholders to enable them to initiate and successfully implement hydrothermal projects.
In a first step, the authors identify aborted geothermal projects in NDB located in geologically well explored regions. Based on related feasibility studies, literature reviews and expert interviews, common constraints and challenges are discussed from geological, technical, social and economic perspectives.
Secondly, a number of selected projects are analysed in more detail. Alternative operating scenarios are developed and the positive impact of new technological developments such as high capacity heat pumps is examined.
Finally, the results will be generalised in order to derive recommendations for interested local stakeholders.
The work is part of the Warm-Up project, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).