Spie takes over operational management of geothermal power plant in Bavaria

15.05.2025

Source: E & M powernews

From 2025, Spie will be operating the geothermal power plant in Geretsried for Eavor. The plant uses hot rock at a depth of 4,500 meters and will supply electricity and heat for the region.

From this year, the multi-technology service provider Spie will take over the operation and maintenance of a new type of geothermal power plant in Bavaria. This was announced by the Düsseldorf-based company on May 13. The client is Eavor Erdwärme Geretsried GmbH & Co KG, a subsidiary of the Canadian technology provider Eavor. The plant in Geretsried, south of Munich, is considered to be the world's first commercial geothermal power plant that works without thermal water.

The core of the concept is the so-called Eavor Loop, a closed system that works in a similar way to an underground radiator. Two vertical boreholes reach down to a depth of 4,500 meters, where they branch out into a total of twelve horizontal sections, each 3,000 to 3,500 meters long. The fluid introduced is heated by the hot rock and rises back to the surface via the thermosiphon effect without additional pumps. There, the heat is extracted via heat exchangers and used to generate electricity or heat.

First electricity, then heat for Geretsried

Initially, power generation is scheduled to start in the fall of 2025. Planning for the district heating supply is still ongoing. As soon as the heat station is completed, Spie will also take over operations management here. Electricity will be generated using an ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) system, in which excess heat is converted into electricity with low CO2 emissions. Spie is responsible for the technical management of the above-ground parts of the plant as well as the maintenance of the ORC components. A continuous on-call service will ensure plant availability around the clock.

According to Spie, the company also supports its customers with the commissioning and legally compliant commissioning of individual plant components. The scope of services will be flexibly adapted to the requirements during the term of the contract, explained Aaron Eißner, Sales Manager in the Efficient Facilities division of Spie Germany Switzerland Austria. In future, the plant will supply both the city and the surrounding region with climate-friendly electricity and district heating.

Third plant in Bavaria

The geothermal plant in Geretsried is already the third project of this kind that Spie is managing in Bavaria. Other sites are located in Dürrnhaar and Kirchstockach. Stefan Schusterschitz, Head of the Efficient Facilities division, described geothermal energy as a "natural, stable and reliable source of renewable energy". The technology could make an important contribution to the future energy mix.

Author: Susanne Harmsen