Geothermal energy strengthens Hörstel's heat planning

18.11.2025

Source: E & M powernews

Cold local heating will supply the Uferquartier in Hörstel with heat from the ground in future. SWTE Netz's plans for the district show which municipal buildings will be added next.

A new phase of local heat supply is beginning in the Uferquartier in Hörstel, North Rhine-Westphalia. Representatives of the town of Hörstel and Ibbenbüren-based SWTE Netz GmbH und Co KG have put the cold local heating network into operation. The low-temperature heating network uses heat from the ground and supplies it via heat pumps to 43 planned connection customers.

The technology is based on heat from deeper layers of the earth. Heat pumps raise the temperature in the buildings to the required level. The fire station on Uferstrasse already receives heat from the network, and other public properties are to be connected gradually.

Mayor David Ostholthoff (CDU) describes the city council's decision as a deliberate step towards a supply that relies on geothermal energy. He emphasizes that owners in the new development area are already fulfilling their legal obligations regarding the use of renewable energies. Those responsible for the Riesenbeck-West development area are also using the same technology. SWTE Netz, the network subsidiary of Stadtwerke Tecklenburger Land, is acting as a municipal partner and is responsible for planning, construction and operation.

Geothermal energy from a depth of 80 meters

According to Jürgen Schmidberger, Managing Director of SWTE Netz, the company invested around 3.1 million euros in the cold local heating network. Around 40 percent of the sum came from federal subsidies. A significant proportion of the investment remains in the region, as local companies carried out the majority of the work. Civil engineering, structural engineering, measurement and control technology, technical building equipment and high-voltage systems have already been completed. Companies from Hörstel and the surrounding area have largely completed the probe drilling and installations on the buildings and are still completing some of the remaining work.

Project manager Mathias Walke explains that a total of 70 probes reach around 80 meters deep and extract geothermal energy from the ground. A water-glycol mixture transports this energy to the connected buildings via a route around 1,850 meters long. Heat pumps raise the temperature on site. According to SWTE Netz, the system can provide around 668,000 kWh of heat per year. In addition to the supply, the model also includes heat pumps, buffer storage, services and the supply of green electricity.

Technical center at the heart of the network

The technical center forms the heart of the system. It is located in the basement of the Ludgerus sports hall in Hörstel. Specialists from SWTE Netz control and monitor the grid there, control the temperature control and the operation of the probe fields.

According to SWTE Netz, the geothermal network creates a stable foundation for a climate-friendly heat supply in the district. Those responsible are examining further steps - such as a possible expansion of the network or the connection of further construction areas.

Author: Davina Spohn