Innargi receives permit for geothermal exploration and extraction at Virum, Denmark
Virum, Denmark (source: Mark Hougard Jensen / flickr, Creative Commons)
Carlo Cariaga
18 Dec 2025
Innargi has received a geothermal exploration and extraction permit for joint project with Vestforbrænding in Virum, Denmark.
Geothermal developer and operator Innargi A/S has received a permit for exploration and extraction of geothermal energy at Virum, Denmark from the Danish Energy Agency. The permit is a prerequisite for Innargi to implement a new geothermal district heating project with partner energy and waste company Vestforbrænding.
The plan for the project is to drill a geothermal well to a depth of around 2300 meters into the Bunter sandstone reservoir. Geothermal waters of about 73 °C are expected at this depth. This water will then be pumped to the surface, where the heat will be harvested and transferred to the district heating networks using a system of heat pumps and heat exchangers.
Anders Ørskov Madsen, Subsurface Manager at Innargi, clarifies that it may be possible to tap into the shallow Gassum reservoir, but the resource at this depth is expected to be 10 to 15 °C lower.
The plan is for geothermal heating to supply the equivalent of 10,000 households in Virum. Innargi will be responsible for drilling and wells and establishing and operating the geothermal heating plant. Vestforbrænding will then be responsible for distributing the heat locally via the district heating network.
Vestforbrænding is Denmark’s largest waste-to-energy company and serves around 1 million citizens across 19 municipalities in Zealand. The company has an ambitious plan for the expansion of district heating, Varmeplan 2030, which gives 39,000 households the opportunity to convert from gas and oil boilers to district heating. In this context, geothermal energy will be one of the future heat sources that will supply heat to Vestforbrænding’s district heating network.
“We are very pleased that Innargi has now received a permit from the Danish Energy Agency – exactly as expected. This brings us one step closer to being able to secure the necessary heat for new customers in Virum from geothermal energy,” said Per Wulff, Area Manager of Strategic Energy Development at Vestforbrænding.
Just a few months ago, Innargi started the operations of their first geothermal heating plant in Aarhus, supplying heat to approximately 330,000 homes with geothermal energy from 2500 meters depth.
Source: Innargi
