Czech conference in Litoměřice shows strong interest in geothermal energy

Today’s conference in Litoměřice demonstrated strong interest in the potential use of geothermal energy, bringing together scientists, businesspeople and local government representatives. According to experts, extracting heat from the Earth’s interior could become part of the replacement of coal with other sources. Municipalities could also use geothermal energy in buildings and urban energy systems. This will be the case in Litoměřice, where drilling of shallow boreholes will begin in January. Antonín Tym, manager of the Synergys geothermal project, told ČTK.

Researchers, representatives of drilling companies, developers and public administration officials filled the conference hall at Litoměřice Castle and discussed the practical use of geothermal energy, as well as safety, methods of energy extraction and its utilisation. They presented heat pump and heat exchanger technologies that heat or cool buildings.

Litoměřice has long focused on geothermal energy and is the only city in the Czech Republic authorised to carry out a special intervention into the Earth’s crust. Drilling of shallow boreholes will begin in January at the site of the former Jiřík Barracks. Some will supply energy, while others will be used for monitoring. According to Tym, there will be several dozen in total. Experts will use them to verify different approaches and test the technology. The first set of boreholes will heat the building housing the research centre. Two further sets of boreholes will follow.

Two deep boreholes, reaching roughly two kilometres below the surface, are being prepared separately. "At this point, we are already at the stage of selecting something like technical supervision and an engineering firm with experience in deep drilling," Tym said. The company will help finalise the concept for the deep boreholes and the documentation. Experts from drilling companies will then assess whether the boreholes can be implemented in the proposed way.

The Synergys project, whose main objectives include the use of geothermal energy, construction of underground heat storage facilities and production of so-called green hydrogen, has been included by the Ústí Region among strategic projects under the Just Transition programme. The project’s implementation has already been approved. Costs are estimated at CZK 1.25 billion. "We are doing this to gain know-how, develop procedures, verify technologies, but also to find out what does not work, what is difficult, or what is too risky or expensive. So that at the end of this long-term process, we have answers to the questions posed. We know that even large energy companies, including in the Czech Republic, are already interested in this information and in investing in deep boreholes. Our experience and the data obtained will therefore be usable elsewhere," Tym concluded.