33 FEBRUARY 2022 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Budapest Geothermal District Heating Project Compiled by the Editorial Staff of WorldWide Drilling Resource®® The district heating company FÖTÁV in the city of Budapest, the capital of Hungary, and Icelandic group Arctic Green Energy signed a cooperation agreement earlier this year for the construction of geothermal district heat generating units. This is the first large-scale, 10-20 megawatt thermal (MWth), geothermal project to be installed and integrated with the heat supply in Budapest. A facility with a pair of wells at a capacity 20 MWth could cover the total annual district heat supply for around 10,000 average homes in Budapest. The geothermal project in Budapest may save up to 21,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year. In line with Hungary’s National Energy Strategy adopted last year, the share of natural gas in district heat generation will be reduced from the current 70% to 50% in the country as a whole by 2030. The first phase of the project focuses on an exploration of potential locations, obtaining necessary permits, authorizations and/or licenses, as well as overall technical, economic, and legal preparations. In the future, FÖTÁV aims at installing geothermal heat generating capacity of a total of approximately 150-200 MWth. The company is ready to sign a similar cooperation arrangement with Arctic to achieve this goal. Arctic’s operations include the design, construction, and operation of power plants and heating plants relying on geothermal energy, as well as the sale of the electricity and heat energy output. The company’s goal is to make the district heating market greener. Using the resources and conditions available in the capital city will play a key role in meeting their goals. This is in line with their partner company’s goals for geothermal usage. Arctic Green Energy believes a sustainable energy supply involves cascading usage of geothermal where the heat can be reused for more than one application. The efficiency of a source is increased dramatically with cascading usage: what is waste for one application is the ideal heat source for the next application. After district heating where the ideal heat is 149º-185ºF (65º-85ºC), the source cools down, making it ideal for greenhouses or aquaculture. Budapest, Hungary. GEO
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDk4Mzk=