The mayors of the four municipalities involved in the GEMO joint geothermal development company
The wells to be drilled in Vaterstetten will provide the supply for the inter-municipal geothermal heating project of Geo Energie München Ost (GEMO), a joint development company of the municipalities of Vaterstetten, Grasbrunn, Haar, and Zorneding. The company was founded in December 2023.
Early excavation work at the drilling site was done in February 2024 to search for potential archaeological artifacts. None were found, and the green light was given for further preparatory work on the drilling site.
Tobias Aschwer, Vaterstetten’s environmental director and one of the two managing directors of GEMO, explained that the topsoil at the drilling site will be removed this spring. This cannot be done earlier due to the bird breeding season.
An EIA document filed by GEMO in February 2024 indicated a plan to drill up to four geothermal boreholes to depths of approximately 3268 meters (TVD) in the Parsdorf district of Vaterstetten.
A report presented in 2023 states that the possible geothermal reservoir in the area hosts water at 95 °C and a potential thermal output of 21 MWth. This will be enough to supply the district heating networks of all four municipalities. Nevertheless, GEMO is negotiating an exploration insurance policy.
Josef Mittermeier (SPD) noted that the federal government has committed EUR 18.5 million in funding for the project. The drilling alone is expected to require EUR 15 million.
