Berlin wants to rely more on geothermal energy

Berlin wants to rely much more on geothermal energy in the future on its way to climate neutrality. This was decided by the black-red Senate on Tuesday.

A total of 13 potential sites have been examined from a technical and geological point of view, said Manja Schreiner, Senator for the Environment and Climate Protection, to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur on Tuesday. Three locations that could be considered for test drilling have been determined in the meantime. "These are the Urban Tech Republic and the Schumacher Quarter on the site of the former Tegel Airport, then the Neukölln district heating plant and the Berlin-Buch campus," said Schreiner.

Renewable energy sources of central importance for Berlin

Talks are now being held with those responsible for the three selected projects to define further cooperation. "We expect the deep drilling to be carried out in about two years for 2025." Geothermal energy makes use of the fact that thermal energy is stored in the earth's crust, which can be used for heating, among other things. According to the Senate Department for Transport, Environment and Climate Protection, more than 90 per cent of heat in Berlin is currently produced by fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and oil. In order to achieve the goal of climate neutrality in the capital city before 2045, if possible, the supply of heat from renewable energy sources is of central importance.

Municipal heat planning for Berlin in progress

The environmental administration is currently working on the municipal heating plan for Berlin, which has often been discussed in connection with the Building Energy Act (GEG). "By law, we as a municipality have to do it by 2027, but we are doing it by 2026 and are already at the table with all the protagonists," said Schreiner. In this context, there is a focus on deep geothermal energy. "This involves developing heat reserves at very great depths," the senator said. This form of heat supply is climate-neutral and secure in supply, she said. "It doesn't take up much space, which is particularly important in a city like Berlin, where we are struggling with the space issue anyway."

Roadmap for deep geothermal energy adopted

However, the initial investment in deep geothermal is very high, he said. "If you do a test drilling, it costs from one million upwards." That's why the Berlin Senate decided as early as 2021 to do test drilling to reduce the risk for investors, he said. The Senate decided on a so-called roadmap on Tuesday. This includes that in addition to the 13 potential sites identified so far, nine more are to be examined for their geothermal potential. "Over time, we will become more and more knowledgeable about where good sites for geothermal energy are, so that we can make progress on the topic and more and more project developers will say they are doing something there," Schreiner said, explaining the approach.