Seismic survey in Nordsjælland, Copenhagen, Denmark

Vestforbrænding and Innargi have entered an agreement to establish geothermal energy for district heating in Greater Copenhagen, Denmark. The plan is to establish a 26-MW geothermal heating facility corresponding to the heating demand of 10,000 households.

The new agreement follows up on a previous engagement between the two companies to evaluate the feasibility of geothermal heating in Copenhagen.

The precise location for the facility has not been decided on yet, but the plan is for it to be located in the Lyngby-Taarbæk municipality. Seismic surveys to determine the most suitable locations for drilling are currently ongoing. Drilling is expected to start by 2026 with the target to start heat delivery by 2028.

Transitioning from oil and gas to geothermal

The agreement is a part of Denmark’s largest civil construction project within district heating, where 39,000 new heating customers change from oil and gas sourced heating to district heating. At the same time, the agreement brings geothermal energy to the Greater Copenhagen area for the first time, where the potential to use geothermal energy for district heating is particularly good.

Vestforbrænding is well under way with an extensive plan for 39,000 district heating customers in Ballerup, Herlev, Gladsaxe, Lyngby-Taarbæk, Furesø, Frederikssund and Egedal – all municipalities in Greater Copenhagen – to change from oil and gas sourced heating to district heating. The plan will nearly double Vestforbrænding’s heating supply and will make the network one of the largest in Denmark.

Geothermal energy is one of the new heat sources that Vestforbrænding is incorporating into the future of district heating, and it will increase heating supply security. Other new heat sources are e.g. waste heat from companies and carbon capture.

“We will need much more district heating in the future, and for district heating to come from several different sources. This will provide a robust supply and will secure stable and low prices for end users,” said Steen Neuchs Vedel, CEO of Vestforbrænding.

“Geothermal energy fits in perfectly. When customers change from their individual heat source to district heating, they will also avoid the price dependency on a single energy source, regardless of whether it is oil, gas or electricity.”

Unlocking future projects

For Innargi, the agreement means the start of geothermal energy production from the geological reservoir that lies beneath most of Greater Copenhagen.

“The geological conditions to establish geothermal energy in the Greater Copenhagen area for district heating are really good. So the project is hopefully just the first of several with Vestforbrænding, which will roll out much more district heating. At the same time, we make the possibilities for the other district heating companies in Greater Copenhagen tangible, which are also expanding their network and considering alternatives to biomass,” said Samir Abboud, Managing Director of Innargi.