Visit of the Freie Wähler to Geretsried

A group of the Freie Wähler visited the Geretsried construction site on May 20 and inquired about the project and the technology of the Eavor-Loop™.

Two attempts to extract hydrothermal deep geothermal energy failed in 2013 and 2017. The reason: in the alpine foothills – unlike in Munich and to the east – there is too little water in the deep rock layers. But this time, the experts are optimistic. This is because a completely new technology is to be used: the Eavor-Loop™, a heat loop system similar to underfloor heating. In this system, water flows in a sealed steel pipe 4,500 meters into the ground. At 90° angles, other pipes are laid horizontally above and next to each other. They interlock like the fingers of two hands. In these pipes, the water heats up thanks to the hot rock around them. The first drill holes measured temperatures of around 160°C – so there is no shortage of the necessary heat. The plant can supply both Geretsried and Wolfratshausen with environmentally friendly heating energy, and planning for the heating network is already in progress. In addition, climate-neutral electricity is also to be generated in Geretsried, which can be flexibly fed into the grid.

The project is receiving over € 90 million in EU funding from the Innovation Fund. This is the highest project funding for geothermal energy in Europe and underlines the importance of this innovative energy generation far beyond the region.

There was great interest in the guided tour of the Eavor construction site. The event was organized by the Free Voters of Geretsried with their Third Mayor Sonja Frank (center). Also present were the mayor of the neighboring municipality, Moritz Sappl (front), Münsing’s deputy mayor Ernst Grünwald, and numerous city councilors from Geretsried and Wolfratshausen, including Dr. Hans Schmidt, Gerlinde Berchtold, Dr. Detlev Ringer and Felix Leipold.

Photo: Tanja Lühr