A project to introduce geothermal district heating to Budapest could cut carbon dioxide emissions by 21,000 tonnes each year, Főtáv Nonprofit said on Wednesday.
The city’s first large-scale geothermal project with a capacity of up to 10-20 MWth is being carried out in cooperation with Icelandic company Arctic Green Energy, Fotav said in a statement. Fully 20 MWth produces at least 300,000-400,000 gigajoules of geothermal heat each year, meaning 14,000-21,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide as well as 20,000-30,000kg of local air pollutants would not be emitted.
A pair of geothermal wells of this capacity would meet the heating needs of 10,000 households. The project’s first phase covers mapping possible sites, obtaining the necessary permits as well as technical, economic and legal preparation, the statement said.
Ultimately, the aim is to establish geothermal heat generation capacity of 150-200 MWth, Főtáv said, adding it wants to establish similar collaborations with Arctic and other partners of similar expertise.
