Millions of cubic meters of natural gas are slumbering underground near Munich – the community is very skeptical about the drilling

Created: 09/05/2022, 21:38

By: Andreas Höger

A private investor wants to drill for natural gas in Holzkirchen (symbol image).

© Patrick Pleul/dpa/symbol image

A huge amount of natural gas was discovered near Holzkirchen.

A company wants to tap into the coveted energy source - but the municipality sees many problems.

Holzkirchen

– Without a solid guarantee for the Holzkirchner geothermal well secured with sufficient money, there is no concession for a gas well from the company Terrain Energy in the immediate vicinity: The spokesman for the Holzkirchner market town council made it clear on request that they, like Mayor Christoph Schmid (CSU ) are very skeptical in view of the advances of the company, which would like to develop an apparently lucrative gas field 4200 meters below Holzkirchen with the market community.

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The municipality invested around 70 million euros in its geothermal project.

"It would be a joke of history if we endangered our regenerative and sustainable geothermal energy with a drilling for fossil energy, of all things," says Green Party spokesman Robert Wiechmann.

Natural gas well near Munich: Gas bubble caught during pre-drilling

For years, Terrain Energy has held the "right of exploration" for gas and oil in the Egmating permit field, in the south-western corner of which is Holzkirchen.

And indeed, there seems to be a lot of energy slumbering in the earth, as indicated by the community's geothermal drilling in 2016: Despite intensive preliminary investigations, a gas bubble was accidentally drilled into.

A financially painful experience for the community (the well had to be diverted), for Terrain Energy an indication and an incentive to dig for this energy itself.

The company now assumes that around 650 million cubic meters of natural gas could be extracted from Holzkirchner soil.

For the acquisition of drilling sites, for seismic data and for public acceptance, the company would like to have the community on board and promised a few million euros in profits.

As Wiechmann emphasized, the decision is not up to the mayor, but to the municipal council.

Gas drilling near Munich: the company submitted a safety report

"I am critical of that," says CSU spokesman Sebastian Franz, "according to the current status, effects on our geothermal energy cannot be ruled out." Under no circumstances should this project be endangered, emphasizes SPD spokeswoman Elisabeth Dasch: "We need binding Guarantees.” If the state government wants to have Bavarian gas promoted, “we have to talk about what guarantees we get”.

So far, the company has only submitted a safety report, which is currently being reviewed by the town hall.

"But we need more information," says FWG spokesman Torsten Hensel, "it's also clear to me: securing our geothermal energy enjoys absolute priority." Wiechmann cannot imagine that the guarantees for his group's approval are sufficient.

“An expert opinion alone is not enough for us.

As a municipality, we also thought that we would not encounter gas during the geothermal drilling – and it happened anyway.”

You can find more current news from the district of Miesbach, Holzkirchen and the Tegernsee region at Merkur.de/Holzkirchen.