Seismic survey for geothermal exploration soon to start in Kaiserslautern, Germany
The vibro-trucks on display at Kaiserslautern, Germany (source: SWK)
Carlo Cariaga
4 Nov 2025
Seismic surveys will soon start in Kaiserslautern in Germany to explore for geothermal resources for potential supply to the district heating network.
Starting the 10th of November, a seismic survey to characterize potential geothermal resources for heating will start in the city of Kaiserslautern in in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The survey will cover an exploration area of about 150 square kilometers and will last about three weeks.
The “Palatinate Heat / Pfälzer Wärme” project, which was announced earlier this year, aims to use the geothermal resources in the Lutrina exploration area to supply the district heating network. The project is being done by Stadtwerke Kaiserslautern (SWK), the utility company of the city of Kaiserslautern. Prior to this, SWK set up the vibro-trucks so that visitors can see them, while also answering questions about the project from the public.
The project team is hoping that thermal waters at depth of up to 3500 meters will reach temperatures of around 100 °C. This will only be confirmed by drilling, which is not expected earlier than mid to late 2027, pending the results of the seismic survey.
SWK aims to harness geothermal energy for heating with the goal of reducing fuel imports and becoming independent of price fluctuations. Currently, 80% of the heating in Kaiserslautern comes from natural gas. The geothermal initiative is also in line with the goal of Germany to be climate-neutral by 2045.
