Das Landesamt für Bergbau, Energie und Geologie (LBEG) hat der Nordseeheilbad Borkum GmbH (NBG) zum 15. Oktober die Erlaubnis zur Aufsuchung von Erdwärme zu gewerblichen Zwecken erteilt und somit den Weg für die Prüfung einer möglichen Nutzung von Tiefengeothermie zur Wärmegewinnung frei gemacht.

Accordingly, the NBG will initially be allocated the “Borkum I” permit area for two years, which is around 130 square kilometers in size and includes the North Sea island of Borkum and essentially the southeastern adjacent areas of the Wadden Sea in the German territorial sea within the 12 nautical mile zone.

The NBG had already submitted an application for permission to explore geothermal energy in February 2023, which has now been approved after appropriate examination by the LBEG and in coordination with the Leer district, the city of Borkum, the Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park Administration, the Lower Saxony State Office for Water Management, coastal and Nature Conservation (NLWKN) and Deutsche Telekom AG Seekabel were approved.

This means that the wholly owned subsidiary of the city of Borkum has the fundamental right to carry out the exploration and to locate previously unknown deposits - although actual exploration activities will only take place after the approval of operating plans under mining law.

Before the application was submitted, the NBG received information as part of its partnership with the North Sea island of Ameland that the layers of earth beneath the so-called Groninger floe or the lowland beneath Borkum offer potential for deep geothermal energy. For this reason, the company had a preliminary study carried out and has since assumed that there is a layer of earth at a depth of approximately 3.500 to 3.800 meters beneath the island (rotlegend), in which temperatures of 130 to 135 degrees and a corresponding mass flow are assumed which could cover the island's entire heat supply in the future.

“The exploration permit marks another milestone for our project to generate the heat needed on Borkum using deep geothermal energy. This would allow us to produce far fewer CO2 _emissions and contribute to decarbonizing the heating sector, which is largely based on fossil fuels,” explains Axel Held, who, as Director of the NBG Municipal Utilities segment, has been instrumental in advancing the development.

“We are very pleased about the permission to explore for geothermal energy. If the necessary steps are successful, it would be possible for us to guarantee the local heat supply in the near future using deep geothermal energy and thus take another important step on our way to becoming a climate-neutral and emission-free island," adds NBG managing director Göran Sell.

Editorial classification
Das Zitat beschreibt eine Zielvorstellung aus dem Jahr 2023. Eine Aufsuchungserlaubnis belegt weder ein nutzbares Erdwärmevorkommen noch die technische und wirtschaftliche Versorgung der gesamten Insel. Aus der möglichen Nutzung von Geothermie folgt keine vollständige Emissionsfreiheit der Wärmeversorgung oder der Insel.

Damals geplanter weiterer Ablauf (Stand Oktober 2023)

After the exploration permit has been granted, the NBG will continue to strictly adhere to the LBEG's proposed schedule. First, a feasibility study regarding the use of deep geothermal energy and the accompanying installation of district heating networks will be prepared by February 2024, before appropriate decisions are prepared, applications are submitted and funding is applied for for test drilling from spring 2024.

Die hier genannten Termine für 2024 geben die damalige Planung wieder. Dieser historische Beitrag enthält keine Bestätigung, dass die Schritte inzwischen umgesetzt wurden oder die ursprünglich befristete Erlaubnis heute noch gilt.