Three communities near Munich, namely Aschheim, Feldkirchen and Kirchheim near Munich, joined forces in 2008 and formed AFK-Geothermie GmbH for the first cross-community geothermal project in Germany. The project, comprising two deep geothermal wells drilled into the carbonate Malm reservoir at approximately 2,100 m depth, now supplies heat to five villages. 

History of the project

The green light for the geothermal project in Aschheim was given in autumn 2005 with the granting of the exploration permit for the claim "Ascaim" to the municipality of Aschheim. The three municipalities of Aschheim, Feldkirchen and Kirchheim near Munich then joined forces to further the planning and laid the foundations for the first inter-municipal geothermal project in Germany with the establishment of the joint operating company AFK-Geothermie GmbH.

Drilling

The drilling was planned on the basis of existing seismic profiles, which were purchased for use and reprocessed by the municipality of Aschheim.
On 16.09.2008, drilling work began for the first well at the site of the current energy centre and was successfully completed less than two months later. Drilling work for the second well began on a second drilling site north of Aschheim in February 2009 and was completed on 31 May 2009 after drilling 2,700 m MD. Both wells are initially vertical and moderately deflected in the Malm reservoir.

Heat Generation

Since its commissioning in December 2009, AFK's district heating network has been supplied with geothermal heat and continuously expanded. Due to the increase in connected load, the energy centre was expanded in 2016. Since then, a natural gas-powered CHP unit and an absorption heat pump have covered the medium load and ensured further utilization of the geothermal potential.

Outlook

In order to be able to cover the increasing demand for heat in the future, AFK has been working since 2017 on an extension of the geothermal project and is currently examining the possibilities of further geothermal drilling.

Project Support by ERDWERK GmbH

ERDWERK has been involved in the planning and supervision of the Aschheim geothermal project from the very beginning. This began with the preparation of the permit application for the mining law, which included seismic evaluation and planning of the boreholes, site management during the implementation of the drilling work and operational support in matters relevant to the permit as well as questions on underground production facilities and reservoir management. In addition, the planning services and consulting for the planned expansion (feasibility studies) are now provided