In Traunreut, Upper Bavaria, a Herrenknecht deep drilling rig successfully completed the second drill for the new geothermal power plant at the beginning of March, drilling down to a depth of 5,412 meters. It is the fifth drilling project in the Bavarian Molasse Basin in which a drilling rig of the "InnovaRig" type from Herrenknecht Vertical GmbH was used.
The Upper-Bavarian town of Traunreut relies on the eco-friendly use of geothermal energy. The power provider, "Geothermische Kraftwerksgesellschaft Traunreut mbH", plans to supply the town's inhabitants and industry with district heating from winter 2013/2014 onwards, and with electricity from the new geothermal power plant from 2015 onwards.
The commissioned deep drilling specialists from H. Anger's Söhne (Hessisch-Lichtenau) used an "InnovaRig" drilling rig from Herrenknecht Vertical to realize the deep drill quickly and safely, causing as little noise impact for the residents as possible. The company started work on the first drill in Traunreut in January 2012, and a final depth of 5,067 meters was reached already at the beginning of July 2012. Work on the second drill lasted only five months, from October 2012 to the beginning of March 2013, and ended at a depth of 5,412 meters. Currently, productivity tests are underway to provide information on the water temperature to be expected and the flow rate. In the first borehole, 117 degrees Celsius was measured in the past year.
The power plant is expected to generate electricity at a capacity of up to 4 megawatts and thermal energy with a maximum capacity of 12 megawatts. The eco-friendly energy will then be delivered to the consumers via Traunreut's existing district heating network.
Following drills in Mauerstetten, Dürrnhaar, Kirchstockach and Kirchweidach, Traunreut is the fifth drill project in the Bavarian Molasse Basin sunk using an InnovaRig from Herrenknecht Vertical GmbH. In Brühl, situated in the Baden-Wurttemberg Upper Rhine Rift, a first drill for the geothermal energy project was completed at the beginning of February 2013, using a rig identical to the one in Traunreut (TI-350 Box-on-Box). In Hanover (Lower Saxony), a "Terra Invader 350" was also used successfully.
Deep drilling rigs from Herrenknecht Vertical have already sunk a total of more than 50 kilometers as part of geothermal energy projects. Other rigs are being used for oil and gas drills in Brazil and for off-shore projects in the North Sea.
