Train station in Neufahrn, Bavaria, Germany (source: Reise Reise, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)Geothermal development in the associated municipalities of Neufarhn and Eching was first considered back in 1993, but the idea was not revisited until 2021, as Managing Director Johannes Mahl recalled. The association then unanimously decided to apply for a geothermal exploration permit to the State Ministry for Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy in the autumn of 2022. The application documents were completed and submitted in April 2023, and the exploration permit was granted in August.
The exploration permit covers an area measuring 58 square kilometers. The study area is bordered to the south by the exploration field of Geothermie Garching (EWG), to the west by the Unterschleißheim field (GTU AG), to the east by the area of the Isar, and to the north by the Massenhausen.
With the exploration permit now granted, the Zweckverband is not developing a program for further work. According to Mahl, the first step will be to evaluate and analyze the existing data, such as 2D seismics within the study site. Further steps will be announced when more information is available. Should the exploration be successful, the geothermal resource in the area can be harnessed with the framework of a permit for the extraction of geothermal heat.
