A Terra Invader 350, called InnovaRig, successfully sank two wells for a geothermal energy project in Dürrnhaar. As it is usual in geothermal power plants working with the hydro-thermal technology, it was necessary to sink two neighboring diverging wells to large depths. Terra Invader rigs are equipped with a skidding system to guarantee that these jobs can be carried out as efficiently as possible. This means that the deep drilling rigs – once they are assembled at the jobsite – can be shifted (skidded) by up to ten meters to a new working area.

This technology worked very well in Dürrnhaar. The first well was successfully completed to a depth of 4,393 meters. The subsequent second well was even a little deeper. After a successful sidetrack, the drill hole reached a final depth of 4,530 meters without any problems. The ends of the two wells are located at a distance of 2 kilometers from each other, to make sure that there is sufficient thermal flow between the extracted hot water and the returning cooled water.

Track record

Project: Dürrnhaar, Munich, Germany
Machine type: Terra Invader 350
Final drilling depth well 1: 4,393m
Final drilling depth well 2: 4,530m
Drill hole diameter: 23’’ to 8½’’
Geology: Tertiary, malm
Purpose: Geothermal energy

Operator: Süddeutsche Geothermie-Projekte Gesellschaft GmbH & Co. KG (SGG)