Holzkirchen project in Germany reports successful drilling results
Alexander Richter
23 Haz 2016
The geothermal heat and power project in Holzkirchen, Bavaria/ Germany reports drilling success with sufficient heat and flow rates from its first well.
In news this week from Bavaria in Germany, it is reported that the geothermal project at Holzkirchen has successfully finished and tested its first well.
With the low temperature resources in Germany, projects always look at the achievable temperature and flow rates. So the project now reporting 140 centigrades and a flow rate of 60 litres per second is seen as successful.
The developer is now looking to start the move of the drilling rig by around 7.5 meters with a drilling start for the second well to be started in about wo weeks.
With the success of the first well, the project can now also secure debt financing with a group of banks to be providing loans of up to EUR 28.6 million ($32 million). The local municipality has financed up to EUR 10.7 million ($12 million) so far into the project.
If all goes by plan, the second well is to be finalised in September this year. Then it could be decided which hole is to become the production well and which one the re-injection well.
The recent adaptation to Germany’s renewable energy law, the final vote in parliament is still outstanding, will now extend financial support for geothermal projects that start operation by the end of 2020 and not as early as the earlier deadline by December 31, 2017. With that extension the 5% degression of the achievable feed-in-tariff will only be applied for projects that start operation after December 31, 2020.
This takes a bit of pressure from the project, according to the developer, and the project can first focus on heat generation with the development of the actual power plant getting a little bit more time.
Source: Merkur
