Geothermal energy project in Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg: Start delayed until 2026!

Geothermal energy project in Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg: Start delayed until 2026!

In Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg there are delays in the large geothermal energy project, which was actually supposed to start in spring 2025. A revised permit application for the construction of the geothermal plant means that commercial heat supply cannot begin until 2026. It was originally hoped that construction work would be completed by 2023/24, but plans for a second geothermal well are stalling the project. However, preparations for the foundation work of the boiler house at the former drilling site in the port area are already in full swing, as shown South Germans reported.

For residents, this means that the geothermal energy project, which is intended to heat a total of 157 buildings in Wilhelmsburg and thus supply around 3,700 residential units, is still a long time coming. Across Hamburg, around 538,000 residential units are currently heated with district heating. According to the Federal Ministry of Economics, the project is supported with a generous funding volume of 22.5 million euros. This shows the commitment to the heating transition in the Hanseatic city and the importance of geothermal energy as an important pillar of renewable energy.

Technical details and expansion options

The planned geothermal system is expected to deliver a heat output of around 6 megawatts and could theoretically supply over 4,700 households. If the multi-stage heat pump process is used optimally, the number could even rise to over 6,000 households. The heat exchangers will extract heat from thermal water at a temperature of 48 degrees Celsius, while high-efficiency heat pumps will raise the heating water temperature to the required levels. The chairmanship of Jens Kerstan, the Senator for the Environment, emphasizes the relevance of the project for the city's future heat supply.

The project is being scientifically supported by Inga Moeck from the Georg-August University of Göttingen, who has already carried out successful funding and injection tests. The Hamburg Authority for Environment and Energy informs about the progress and emphasizes the opportunity to use a geothermal system to displace fossil heat generators and expand Wilhelmsburg's heating network.

Geothermal energy as part of the energy transition

Geothermal energy has established itself as a stable partner in the energy transition, which can be observed not only in Hamburg, but also in other federal states such as North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg. The initiative Heat transition through geothermal energy actively promotes the expansion of this pioneering technology. The high efficiency of geothermal energy, where up to 90% of the energy produced reaches the end customer, benefits the energy transition, which is additionally supported by the European “Green Deal”.

Although current developments have stalled somewhat, the potential of geothermal energy remains unbroken. There are clear signs that Hamburg and other German cities are on the right track to achieving climate goals, even if implementation sometimes takes longer than expected. If everything goes well, the geothermal energy project could make an important contribution to sustainable heat supply in the coming years.