VITO’s geothermal energy plant for research into geothermal heat

Geothermal heat: part of a sustainable future

Geothermal heat or energy is the natural heat under the earth’s surface. It’s been there for millions of years and will remain available for the foreseeable future. In some places, geothermal heat bubbles up from the earth. In other areas, the water needs to be pumped to access the earth’s energy. In Mol’s geothermal energy plant, water of around 125°C can be pumped from a depth of 3.5 kilometres.

This hot water can heat buildings through a heat network. If the water’s temperature is high enough, it can even generate green energy. VITO’s goal is to turn geothermal heat into a fully-fledged cornerstone of renewable energy. We see this heat as an important part of the road towards a sustainable future. 

An innovative research centre for geothermal energy

The geothermal energy plant is part of the larger VITO research infrastructure and is embedded into all our research fields: sustainable energy, materials, chemistry, health and land use.

The plant is located on the site of what used to be Balmatt Industries and has three drilling pits: two active and a third of 5 kilometres deep that can be used for research purposes.  

The purpose of this geothermal energy plant is to better map out the geothermal heat reserve. We also want to gain insight into the causes and possible consequences of quakes associated with geothermal heat extraction.  

First and foremost, the plant is a research centre. The infrastructure is also open to third parties. They can conduct various experiments here, such as electricity generation with ORC technology, analyses of the generated seismicity in the plant’s vicinity, or management of the radioactivity and corrosivity of pumped brine.