Several banks are joining forces in a major geothermal heat project in Westland, South Holland. ING, Rabobank, BNG Bank, Triodos Bank and insurer ASR see it as an important and promising part of the energy transition. The new geothermal energy project in Maasdijk is the largest ever built in one go in the Netherlands and will supply sustainable energy about 80 greenhouse growers.
The heat, which is obtained by pumping up warm water of about 87 degrees from a depth of 3 kilometers, will be available to horticulturists at the end of next year. Greenhouse horticulture is suitable for geothermal heat because this sector needs a lot of heat all year round. Especially in this energy crisis, the horticulturists are looking for a reliable energy source and are thus assured of heat for fifteen years. Geothermal heat is more expensive than gas, but the price difference is reimbursed by the government.
A first successful test has already been carried out into the suitability of the heat source. Together, the banks will make three-quarters of the required EUR 115 million available as a loan, which will only take effect if the heating project proves to be working. According to both developer HVC and ING, the banks are willing to participate in subsequent projects, which makes it more attractive for HVC to develop subsequent projects.
Another factor is that, due to its size, the design of the current project is suitable for supplying geothermal energy in more places. Ultimately, a quarter of the Netherlands can be supplied with heat in this way. The heat that will be supplied by the Maasdijk project is equivalent to the needs of 50,000 households. The intention is that households with later projects will also receive energy from geothermal energy.
In the spring of 2022, the geothermal energy drilling for the project of HVC and the Maasdijk heating cooperative started on Lange Kruisweg in Maasdijk. It concerns about five hundred hectares of greenhouses with vegetables, plants and flowers. That is comparable to the surface area of 333 football fields and is equivalent to the gas consumption of more than fifty thousand households.
Green light
Last month the green light came. In the bottom appeared to be enough hot water at a depth of nearly three kilometers. That water is also warm enough at 90 degrees Celsius and the soil is also sufficiently porous to bring the water to the surface. The aim is to be able to supply the hot water to the horticulturists by the end of next year.
And not only to market gardeners, because connecting homes is also a long-term goal, a spokeswoman said. “In the short term, we are looking at whether the new Waelpolder district can be connected to a geothermal energy project, possibly Geothermal energy Maasdijk,” she said to this news site.
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