Vulcan Energy commence supply of geothermal renewable heat to German supplier
Published by Abby Butler,
Editorial Assistant
Energy Global,
Vulcan Energy has commenced the supply of geothermal renewable heat to German municipal energy supplier, EnergieSüdwest AG (ESW), from the company’s operations in Landau, Germany.
This forms part of the ESW’s integrated lithium and renewable energy development, Phase One Lionheart Project, and reflects Germany and Europe’s broader commitment to develop local, renewable sources of energy.
The company has commenced commercial supply of renewable heat, produced from deep geothermal wells, directly into the neighbouring ESW heating system which will, in turn, supply the heat to several district heating networks in Landau.
This represents an important first step in reducing the use of fossil fuels in district heating. The initiative marks the start of a long term and continuous transition to renewable energy in Landau, with the switch to geothermal energy set to significantly reduce CO2 emissions.
To further expand the supply of renewable heat and provide sustainable energy to more households and businesses in Landau, ESW plans to complete five additional production well sites as part of the HEAT4LANDAU Project, which awarded Vulcan a €100 million grant from the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection in November 2024.
The development underscores the significance of the recently approved Geothermal Acceleration Act which aims to benefit geothermal operators, federal states, and local authorities by accelerating the development of geothermal energy. The Act is expected to become law by early 2026, supporting Germany’s goal of generating 10 TWh of domestic geothermal energy production by 2030 and 300 TWh by 2050, to meet a quarter of Germany’s annual heating demand, key to Europe’s broader climate protection target.
ESW is already commercially producing geothermal, baseload power in Germany for 6500 homes. Initial production of heat will be small-scale, starting at around 2 MW in the current test phase, with the aim to ramp up to supply 90 000 households with renewable heat as part of its larger Phase One Project in the same area.
Vulcan’s CEO, Cris Moreno, commented: “The start of supply of geothermal energy to ESW Landau is a significant milestone on the road to a climate-neutral energy future and towards building Phase One of Vulcan’s integrated lithium and renewable energy project, Lionheart. We plan to produce battery quality lithium products, from the same geothermal brine that is used to produce renewable district heating for the City of Landau. This is an important step for the sustainable heating supply in Landau and shows how the efficient use of renewable resources can strengthen both the local heating supply and the European battery industry.”
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Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/other-renewables/29042025/vulcan-energy-commence-supply-of-geothermal-renewable-heat-to-german-supplier/
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