Geothermal energy

Wörth, Daimler Truck and EnBW establish joint venture for geothermal energy

The automobile company and the energy company are exploring with the city of Wörth how geothermal energy can make CO₂ neutrality possible there.

Geothermal energy is intended to provide climate-neutral energy. The power plant in Graben-Neudorf is pictured here. Photo: Wolfgang Schuster

from dpa

Oct 06, 2023 | 3:29 p.m 1 minute Oct 6, 2023

The city of Wörth, the energy group EnBW and the commercial vehicle manufacturer Daimler Truck have founded a joint venture to explore and develop energy through geothermal energy. The project is intended to explore the possibilities of a climate-neutral energy supply for the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth and the city of Wörth, Daimler Truck announced on Friday in Wörth. The aim, if necessary, is to build and operate a heat generation system at the Wörth location. The Upper Rhine Graben between Mannheim and Basel is considered worthwhile for geothermal drilling.

more on the subject

Deep geothermal energy on the Upper Rhine

EnBW’s geothermal energy plans around Karlsruhe: “Important building block for decarbonization”

The EnBW project manager Stefan Ertle explained that the joint venture should now explore the possibilities of geothermal heat use in Wörth. “Thanks to the involvement of a globally active company like Daimler Truck and the involvement of a dynamic community like Wörth, this is a unique cooperation for us – a lighthouse project for the heat transition,” emphasized Ertle.

A preliminary investigation should be completed by 2025

According to a spokesman for the city of Wörth, preliminary geophysical investigations are to begin. The goal is a three-dimensional map of the subsurface. Some data from previous studies are available. Completion is planned by 2025, he told the German Press Agency. Possible test drilling could follow in 2026/27. If everything goes as planned, a heating plant could be built in 2028. “It is crucial for federal funding that the city is involved.”

According to EnBW, the area is 77 square kilometers in size. “Our goal is to make Wörth CO2-free by 2030,” says Mayor Dennis Nitsche. “The system can make a significant contribution to this.”