Sometimes a deputy mayor, while reading a national newspaper, comes across groundbreaking news from his community. Ulrich Leiner (Greens) felt the same way recently. He’s a researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute and that’s how he sometimes looks in image of science. There, a report on geothermal energy also dealt with the project in Vaterstetten, and to his surprise, Leiner read that the neighboring municipalities of Grasbrunn and Haar were involved in it. The Haarer municipal council has never spoken publicly about a possible participation, let alone decided. However, there are talks at the mayoral level – and a lot of speculation.
It is a project in the mid double-digit million range, to supply heat for thousands of households and a milestone in climate protection. In June 2022, the community of Vaterstetten also unanimously passed a fundamental resolution on an energy transition, which states that “an economically viable geothermal project should be implemented for this purpose, with heat supply from 2025”. This is formally the status. Studies were presented, according to which a high yield can be expected and the project is economical. Otherwise, you haven’t heard much lately. But as can be learned from the town hall in Vaterstetten when asked, they are working meticulously step by step.
Georg Kast, who is closely following the project in the Vaterstetten town hall, reports on many legal issues that are currently being worked on. Every day one expects a funding commitment from the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA) in order to have a comprehensive study made on the project, which the subsidy authority requires. The specialist company carrying out the work had already been determined after an invitation to tender. According to Kast, it should then continue with the establishment of the project company, application for an early start of construction and drilling. Efforts to secure a drilling site ran in parallel.
Vaterstetten’s Mayor Leonhard Spitzauer (CSU) speaks of unbroken determination to carry out the million-dollar project. And he emphasizes that the door is open for neighboring municipalities to get involved. The possibilities of what that could look like are obviously still far-reaching in the current phase of the project. Further resolutions by the municipal council are still pending in Vaterstetten, and Georg Kast is expecting them soon. The aim is to “keep the added value on the part of the municipality”.
Second Mayor Ulrich Leiner (Greens) has many questions.
(Photo: Claus Schunk)
In Haar, the municipal councils have little or no knowledge of this. This raises many questions: Does the municipality participate in the operating company for the geothermal heat or does it only buy in heat? At present, the former seems unlikely given the municipality’s precarious financial situation. However, a decrease in heat would be an option, also because Haar has existing local heating networks in the Isar-Amper-Klinik and in Eglfing, which could be converted to geothermal energy. However, the owner is not the municipality, but the district and Eon Bayern.
Mayor Andreas Bukowski (CSU) recently informed the municipal council that the municipal utilities are currently seeking talks with the district heating network operators in order to determine the conditions for participation in the Vaterstetten project. Rainer Mendel, the new head of the municipal works, confirms this. Tests were running and we were in contact with possible partners. An exchange is also being sought with the Stadtwerke München. Mendel considers a connection between Vaterstetten and Haar to be a highly exciting idea, but also an expensive and complex project.
The neighboring municipality of Zorneding also wants to join the club
Ulrich Leiner is not satisfied that Mayor Bukowski said in the municipal council that he could not report more than that the municipal utilities were sounding out the situation. He demands further clarification. The council needs to take a look and give advice. Mayor Bukowski now wants to provide information in one of the next meetings, but warns that there may not be much that is new. In an interview with the SZ, Vaterstetten’s mayor Spitzauer and project manager Kast agreed to inform the Haar municipal council about the project themselves.
Both have already reported to the Zornedinger municipal council. The community to the east definitely wants to join the Vaterstetten geothermal energy club. At the end of January, the municipal council set the course for the construction of a district heating network with a view to a connection and decided on a feasibility study. The legal form of an operating company was discussed after a presentation by an expert.