The geothermal project in Gräfelfing is meeting with lively demand. More than 200 house owners are already on the list of interested parties who want to purchase geothermal energy in the future. The community receives calls and emails on a daily basis. Nevertheless, patience is required. Because even if the deep drilling is scheduled for the third quarter of 2024, the first customers will not have the heat delivered to their homes until the second half of 2025.
The municipality of Gräfelfing is currently promoting the geothermal project. The more heat buyers there are, the more economical the project will be, as was emphasized several times at the municipal council meeting on Tuesday. At the moment, however, real estate owners can only express their interest; Geothermie Gräfelfing, the company founded specifically to implement the project, cannot yet make specific statements about the exact time of the connection or the heat price.
However, the heat prices are to be announced in February, said Lydia Brooks from the Environment Agency, who runs the business of the geothermal company together with Simon Brinkmann. The heat price is based on a complicated calculation. Parameters such as investment costs, the potential heat consumption, interest on borrowing or raw material prices are reflected in it, explains Brooks on request. In any case, these would be well below the current gas prices. The people of Gräfelfinger are informed about the heat prices via direct mail.
Demand for commercial buildings can still be expanded
While demand for private homes is high, there is still room for improvement for commercial buildings, Brinkmann said at the meeting. Most of the properties are rented, and it is difficult to get hold of the owners. Therefore, the community will now write directly to the owners, for data protection reasons, the geothermal company is not allowed to do this itself.
In addition to the drilling, for which a drilling site is being set up on the riding paddock between Würmtalstraße and Neurieder Weg, the district heating network is being planned and expanded. In the first step, households and buildings can be connected along the 7.5-kilometer main route. This leads from the drilling site along Würmtalstraße, Bahnhofstraße, Rottenbucher Straße, Lochhamer Straße, Würmstraße and Am Anger as well as Pasinger Straße back to the drilling site.
According to Brooks, the major consumers of heat are along this ring closure: the school campus and the swimming pool that is currently being built, as well as many commercial operations with large energy requirements. The heating network will then be gradually expanded, but this can take years. The main focus is on the commercial area, then the main route is to be branched out further into the residential areas. If there is sufficient demand, the residential area beyond the railway line can also be supplied. But that was a technical challenge because of the tracks, Brooks said.
Two wells are currently planned at a depth of up to three kilometers. The drilling itself will make noises, a noise report is currently being prepared. If the Planeggers also want to connect their industrial park in Steinkirchen or if the Neurieders also go online, there is capacity for a second double well, Brinkmann said. Mayor Harald Zipfel (SPD) has already expressed interest in Neuried.