Geothermal energy project in Wilhelmsburg: New delays until 2026!

Geothermal energy project in Wilhelmsburg: New delays until 2026!

The geothermal energy project in Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg, which was supposed to supply many households with sustainable energy, is stalling. t-online.de reports that the commissioning of the plant has been delayed again. The start of commercial heat deliveries, which was planned for spring 2025, is now not scheduled to take place until 2026. The original goal of supplying up to 6,000 households with geothermal energy is now a long way off. The first drilling, which was carried out in 2021, already showed that the geological conditions are not optimal, as sufficient deposits could not be extracted from a depth of 3,000 meters.

The delays are due to changed plans. Those responsible would like to keep the option open for a second geothermal drilling. In order to make space for these projects, the former drilling site in the port area is being prepared and foundation work has been initiated for the construction of a boiler house. welt.de adds that the permit applications for the plant had to be revised, which further lengthens the planning.

Details about the project

The plan is now to pump water from a depth of around 1,000 meters and heat it to around 80 degrees using heat pumps. This is a change from the original concept, which called for water to reach temperatures of up to 130 degrees. However, the efficiency of this system remains unclear since it will be powered by electricity in the future and the actual power consumption depends on various factors such as the ambient temperature and the mode of operation. The Deutsche Erdwärme website points out that the tested efficiency in the laboratory is 4.5 times the electricity consumption as thermal energy.

At the moment, the energy plants in Wilhelmsburg already supply two decentralized heating networks, which together supply 157 buildings and around 3,700 residential units with heat. This is part of the larger project “Reallabor Integrated Heat Transition Wilhelmsburg”, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics with 22.5 million euros. However, so far there is no clear information about the total costs of the geothermal energy project.

Increases in district heating prices

Another challenge is the increase in prices for district heating and hot water, which have risen by almost a third since May 1st. This fact could become an additional financial burden for the citizens of Wilhelmsburg, especially in times of delay. The hope for a reliable and cost-effective heat supply through the geothermal project remains unbroken for many, while they wait for clear information on the further development of the project.