Geothermal project in Munster, Germany to benefit from re-use of two ExxonMobil gas wells
Gas flare in ExxonMobil Söhlingen-Ost facility (source: Battenbrook, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Carlo Cariaga
31 Jul 2025
The developer of a geothermal heating project in Munster, Germany has acquired two former natural gas wells from ExxonMobil, reducing the cost of the project.
A geothermal heating project in the city of Munster in Lower Saxony, Germany is now expected to be completed faster and cheaper because of the acquisition of two ExxonMobil wells originally drilled for natural gas extraction. Some completion work will be needed, but both wells are expected to be ready by the end of 2025.
The project aims to use geothermal energy to supply the heating network in the city of Munster. Heide-Geo GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Stadtwerke Munster-Bispingen GmbH, is in charge of the drilling site. In 2023, the utility company received the approval for a EUR 7.1 million grant from the Ministry for the Environment, Energy, and Climate Protection for the geothermal project.
With the acquisition, Heide-Geo now owns the open Munster Southwest Z3 well and the backfilled Munster North Z2 well, which are located just a few meters apart and provides a foundation for a geothermal doublet. The drilling company KCA-Deutag, which has just been awarded the contract through a tender process, will complete both wells.
A previous release from the company stated that the Z3 well was offered by ExxonMobil at almost no cost, thus massively reducing the total cost for the project. Moreover, the company has secured the heating supply contract for the German Armed Forces base in Munster.
“With the state subsidy of €7 million, we can complete both boreholes,” explains Jan Niemann, head of Munster’s municipal utilities and Heide-Geo. “Perhaps even for less.”
“We’re deepening the first borehole by a few meters to reach the main layer of the water-bearing rock,” explains Hans-Herbert Achilles, Heide-Geo’s technical project manager.
ExxonMobil also expressed support for the project. “We are very pleased to support the expansion of renewable energies at the municipal level by transferring this well,” said Jens-Christian Senger, Managing Director of ExxonMobil Germany.
Source: Böhme Zeitung
