License granted for Geothermal Energy in Virum

Vestforbrænding is Denmark’s largest waste-to-energy company and serves around 1 million citizens across 19 municipalities in Zealand. Vestforbrænding has an ambitious plan to expand district heating, Heat Plan 2030, which will allow 39,000 households to convert from gas and oil heating to district heating. In this context, geothermal energy will become one of the future heat sources supplying heat to Vestforbrænding’s district heating network.

Heat for 10,000 households
The plan is for the geothermal plant in Virum to supply heat equivalent to 10,000 households with climate-friendly district heating. Innargi, which specializes in geothermal energy, will be responsible for drilling the wells as well as establishing and operating the geothermal plant. Vestforbrænding will distribute the heat locally through the district heating network.

2,300-meter-deep wells
In Virum, the plan is to drill into the Bunter sandstone reservoir, which lies at a depth of about 2,300 meters, where water is found with a temperature of approximately 73°C. The geothermal water will be pumped to the surface, where the heat is extracted and transferred to the district heating network using heat exchangers and heat pumps. The cooled geothermal water is then pumped back underground for reheating.

Geothermal energy is a stable and local heat source that can help reduce dependence on fossil fuels. With the permit, the collaboration between Innargi and Vestforbrænding to secure the heat supply of the future, is strengthened. The plan is for the first geothermal heat to be delivered to Vestforbrænding’s customers before the end of 2028.