Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) EU member states are turning towards geothermal as part of the bloc’s energy transition, with Germany leading the charge.
Munich’s Sendling neighborhood has converted its gas-fired heating plant to geothermal energy in 2021, with the federal government announcing more investments in the coming period, according to France24 reporting on Friday.
The plant in Munich is one of the largest of its kind in Europe and was completed at an opportune time as Germany is looking for ways to replace Russian natural gas imports with alternative sources of energy.
Munich alone is planning to invest approximately one billion euros in geothermal projects in the period up to 2035 with the aim of making its district heating networks carbon neutral.
Christian Peltl, head of geothermal energy at the Sendling plant operator SWR, pointed out “we’re sitting on a gold mine… Munich has the perfect geological location” in Bavaria, which is known for its thermal baths.
He noted that the plant is still expanding and will be able to supply approximately 80,000 homes with heating once it is fully operational, stressing that the plant is largely automated.
At the end of last year, the German government announced plans to increase the use of geothermal energy tenfold by 2030, which will require the launch of “at least 100 new geothermal projects.”
Other EU member states
Investments in geothermal energy are on the rise in other parts of the EU as bloc members add more renewables to their respective energy mixes.
Earlier this week, France announced plans to increase the number of geothermal projects by roughly 40% by the end of the decade, while Hungary presented plans to invest more in geothermal energy in October.
The Italian government made similar announcements and Denmark is to open the largest geothermal plant in the country in 2030.
Head of the Munich plant Thomas Gilg pointed out that geothermal energy “is only part of the solution” because not all parts of the EU can tap it and the energy can only be used locally.
The European Commission previously estimated that up to one-quarter of homes in the EU could be heated by geothermal energy.
