PressSplit
Workers handle a drill rod at a geothermal power plant construction site. © Peter Kneffel/dpa
Bavaria should provide greater support to municipalities that want to develop geothermal projects. CSU state parliament members Kerstin Schreyer, Maximilian Böltl and Thomas Huber are now also committed to expanding the energy supply.
District – They call on the Bavarian state government to take a step towards secure energy supply and announce this in a press release.
Loan program for municipalities called for
Kerstin Schreyer from Unterhaching, deputy chairwoman of the Economic Committee and member of parliament for the Munich-Land South constituency, explains: “Geothermal energy is of great importance for our region. With our proposal, we want to further accelerate its expansion in Bavaria and thus here.” In their proposal, the MPs are calling on the government to examine a loan program to promote geothermal energy and heating networks. Existing loans for the joint geothermal project of the communities of Haar, Vaterstetten, Grasbrunn and Zorneding are far too low. Instead of the planned 18.5 million euros, the costs are to amount to 50 million. The requested loan program is intended to support the communities in financing.
75 geothermal projects planned in Bavaria
Thomas Huber from the Ebersberg constituency points out that there are plans for a further 75 geothermal projects in Bavaria: “We want to cover around 25 percent of Bavaria’s heat requirements in the building sector with geothermal energy by 2050. The federal funding volume is far too small for that.”
Reduce the risk of failure
The loan program is intended to relieve the burden on municipalities. Maximilian Böltl from Kirchheim, a member of parliament in the Munich-Land Nord constituency, adds that the proposal improves conditions for municipalities and enables them to make their own investments. Municipalities are also to be relieved of the risk of discovery if no discovery is made after drilling because the water is too cold or the extraction volume is insufficient. In order to prevent financial ruin in the event of failure, the MPs are calling for insurance for municipalities so that they can drill elsewhere. The CSU MPs’ proposal has already been accepted by a majority in the Economic Affairs Committee. Previously, the Green MPs had also called for more money from the Free State for geothermal projects.
