E.ON to build deep heat power plants in Sweden

The €5.4mn scheme will feed heat at temperatures up to 160°C, captured through boreholes drilled 5–7 km underground, directly into Malmö’s district heating network. It will be one of the first geothermal plants in Europe to extract energy from depths of several kilometres on an industrial scale. 

E.ON is currently investigating the geological conditions through test boreholes. If all goes according to plan, the plant will supply renewable and resource efficient heat to district heating customers from 2022. The utility firm hopes to have built five geothermal power plants in Malmö by 2028, each with an installed capacity of 50 MW thermal. The heat will replace biofuels and biogas for heat generation. 

‘E.ON’s goal is to supply Swedish customers with 100% renewable and recovered energy,’ said Marc Hoffmann, CEO, E.ON Sweden. ‘With deep geothermal energy, we’re tapping into a new energy source that can ensure renewable production in the long term. Deep geothermal energy is resource-efficient, emission free, noise-free and space saving, making it one of the best solutions for urban energy systems of the future.’ 

The project is part of Malmö’s plans to be climate neutral by 2020 and run on 100% renewable energy by 2030.