A revolutionary geothermal heat plant in Ritterschoffen, France, was inaugurated On 7th June in France by Électricité de Strasbourg, Roquette, and Caisse des Dépôts.
The plant uses geothermal fluid at 165°C extracted at depths of 2,500m to deliver heat for industrial processes to a factory 15km away. With an annual production of 24MWth, it will save the emissions of 39,000 tonnes of CO2 from the factory.
A world first and a model for the energy transition, the plant is an important step towards the wider development of Enhanced Geothermal Systems, which allows deep geothermal to be exploited in new areas. Together with the ground breaking EGS power project in nearby Soulz-sous-forest, it demonstrates that deep geothermal energy can be developed almost anywhere powering and heating a cleaner, more sustainable Europe.
Investment for the €55 million plant came principally from ADEME and the regional authorities.
Segolene Royale, French minister for the environment, energy, and the sea officially opened the plant. She highlighted the importance of the collaboration between Caisse des depots,(France´s public financial group which supports the implementation of national and local authorities) and ADEME (the French environment and energy agency) in supporting the project and minimising risk.
Maps showing the potential of deep geothermal to provide heat and power in Europe are available at geodh.eu and geoelec.eu respectively.
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