The future campus in Garmisch-Partenkirchen is to be supplied with clean energy, specifically: geothermal energy. The test drilling begins. Apparently no one expects the geothermal energy project to come to an end.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen – A drilling rig is coming to Garmisch-Partenkirchen next week. At the train station he looks for geothermal energy. Longleif gGmbH wants to supply the future campus and all its facilities with sustainable geothermal energy. The test drilling, which is expected to start on Wednesday, April 17th and is scheduled to be completed after a maximum of three days, will show whether this wish can be realized. The residents shouldn't notice much of this. They could hear the work, says campus project developer Maximilian Mayer. “But they shouldn’t be a bother. This is not a compressor.” A lot depends on the test drillings. You decide whether the desired energy system can be realized. Otherwise, Longleif would have invested the money for nothing. But those responsible are not assuming that.
The work is paid for with funds from the Leifheit Foundation and thus from assets with which the market wants and needs to create sustainable things for its seniors. “We deal with this responsibly,” emphasizes Mayer. In other words: The Longleif decision-makers don't just throw the money into a hole in the ground at random.
Test drilling for geothermal energy: No information on costs
After consulting with managing director Viktor Wohlmannstetter, Mayer did not reveal how much the test drillings cost. On the one hand, because the amount depends on the nature of the ground and the drilling depth and is therefore not yet certain. On the other hand, because Longleif simply doesn't want to talk about expenses yet. The money for the test drilling is seen as starting capital for the overall geothermal energy project. Mayer is not thinking about leaving after the test. “It would have to be really stupid.” In his eyes, the test drilling should show how much geothermal energy can be used, not whether.
His team and he are generally confident about the condition of the soil, which was checked in advance using a wide range of data. Added to this is the experience of the specialist company Geowell from Penzberg. In general, the conditions for geothermal energy in the Loisachtal are very good, the experts assured. Some of the projects they have implemented in the region prove them right. “We’re not just drilling into the dark here,” emphasizes Mayer. Without the extremely promising conditions, “we might not have taken the risk at all.” Wohlmannstätter emphasizes via press release that sustainability and climate protection were the focus of the campus project from the beginning. He sees the start of the test drilling as an “important step on the way to realizing the Garmisch-Partenkirchen campus”.
Test drilling completed after a week
The Geowell company will set up its system on Monday and Tuesday, April 15th and 16th. It runs from Wednesday until Thursday or Friday, depending on the weather. In order to avoid any noise at night, the drilling work ends at 7 p.m. at the latest. Once completed, the hole is filled with a special cement-betonite mixture and then hardens for about a week. Then comes the crucial geothermal response test, which determines the thermal conductivity of the different soil layers as well as the subsurface temperature and thus shows the potential of a geothermal system. Mayer doesn't know when the results will be available. But he is convinced of the positive outcome. “Then we know that the system can be implemented.”