European geothermal projects receive boost
Vulcan Energy and chemical company BASF have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore geothermal potential, and Turkish company Team Agro received European funding.
The partnership explores harnessing natural heat from deep geothermal sources to supply the BASF’s Ludwigshafen site with renewable energy, as well as supplying low-emission heating to the surrounding urban areas.
Heat pumps could be used to take advantage of the area’s geothermal energy to generate CO2-free steam, with a potential output of 300mW of thermal energy, around 4Mt to the BASF site.
Vulcan also plans to build a lithium extraction plant on the site, as the geothermally heated water in the Upper Rhine Graben boasts a high concentration of lithium.
The Rhineland-Palatinate Minister for Economic Affairs, Daniela Schmitt, was hopeful for the potential of German geothermal energy. ‘Our goal must be to establish Germany and the State of Rhineland-Palatinate as internationally competitive industrial locations with internationally competitive energy prices.’
The next steps are for Vulcan to carry out a seismic survey investigating the geothermal conditions in a subregion of the Upper Rhine Graben.
Meanwhile, in Türkiye, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has given a US$30mln loan to Team Argo.
Its new geothermal greenhouse in Aksaray is dedicated to tomato production, and uses advanced agricultural techniques such as soilless agriculture and drip irrigation.
These methods are expected to improve yield and quality, enhance water conservation and reduce the firm’s carbon footprint – with an estimated annual saving of 18,540t of carbon emissions and estimated annual water savings of 655,875m3.
The investment also aims to increase women representation within the agricultural sector in an underdeveloped region of Türkiye.
