German geothermal developer Deutsche Erdwärme has reported that technical inspection of the first test borehole in the Graben-Neudorf geothermal project near Karlsruhe, Germany in the state of Baden-Württemberg. With this, the project will now proceed with the so-called “discovery test” which will provide information about the well’s productivity and potential. The test phase is expected to start on 14 June 2023.
We first reported on the start of drilling in the Graben-Neudorf site in mid-2022, with updates on the well featured during a webinar in late 2022. The well was drilled to a depth of approximately 3900 meters, targeting a reservoir at the Buntsandstein, which has a high natural permeability and temperatures above 160 degrees Celsius.
The development project in Graben-Neudorf remains the most advanced project of Deutsche ErdWärme. Aside from Graben-Neudorf, the company is also developing geothermal projects in Dettenheim, Waghäusel, and Karlsruhe-Neureut. These are all in the relatively early stages of development, with the Waghäusel project being in the news lately for being put up to a referendum.
During the test phase, thermal water will be taken from the well and fed into prepared test water basins. Seismic monitoring will remain active, just as it has during the entire drilling operations. The system detects seismicity well below the threshold of sensitivity. Data from the monitoring can be viewed publicly on the project website. The discovery test is expected to last several days.
More recently, an art piece by Munich-based artist Ekkeland Götze made use of earth or soil from the Graben-Neudorf geothermal site. The soil was collected at various points, from the borehole to the geothermal power plant.
