Project Details
About This Project
Executive Overview
Eavor Geretsried is the world's first commercial-scale deployment of Eavor's closed-loop geothermal (Eavor-Loop) technology, located approximately 50 km south of Munich in Geretsried, Bavaria. Partial commercial operation commenced on December 5, 2025, with the system currently generating 0.5–1 MW of electricity fed to the public grid via an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) turbine supplied by Turboden. Full design output of 8.2 MW of electricity and 64 MW of district heat — sufficient for approximately 30,000 households — is expected following completion of all four planned loops. The project received a grant from the European Innovation Fund. Shareholders include Eavor, Chubu Electric Power, and OMV. The heat offtaker is Isar Loisach Naturwärme GmbH (ILN), subsidiary of local utility Stadtwerke Geretsried, under a contract for 81,200 MWh per year.
How It Works & Differentiation
The Eavor-Loop circulates a working fluid through a sealed network of wells — two vertical wellbores drilled to approximately 4,500–5,000 metres, connected by approximately 80 km of horizontal multilateral wells — extracting heat from rock at around 160°C through a natural thermosiphon effect, without any water extraction, reservoir fracturing, or pumping. The first loop system reached 7,000 metres of measured depth during drilling, using two of Europe's largest land rigs (KCA Deutag T700 and T46). Four loops are planned in total, with the second scheduled for drilling from March 2026. The ORC system converts geothermal heat to electricity, while surplus thermal energy feeds the district heating network. The system produces no greenhouse gas emissions during operation, generates no induced seismicity, and requires no aquifer or permeable rock formation.
Commercialization & Traction
Delays in horizontal drilling — a known technical challenge in the industry — set the project back from its original end-2024 operational target, but the December 2025 partial commercial operation date demonstrates the technology's functional viability. The EU Innovation Fund grant validates the project as a commercially relevant demonstration for European clean energy policy. The district heating contract with ILN is structured around Geretsried's planned new heating network being built in six expansion stages from 2025 to 2026, with initial backbone connections to schools, companies, and large residential buildings. Chubu Electric Power's participation as a shareholder signals interest from Japanese utilities in the Eavor-Loop platform for future markets.
Scalability & Strategic Context
Geretsried's first-loop operating experience will directly inform the design and execution of the three subsequent loops at the same site, and of future Eavor projects globally. Eavor has signed a separate NV Energy PPA for a 20 MW project in Nevada (the Valmy Advanced Geothermal project), already in its commercial pipeline. The first-loop drilling programme — which encountered horizontal drilling challenges that extended the timeline — provides technical data that the company expects to translate into material efficiency gains on subsequent loops. Whether those gains are sufficient to achieve competitive economics against conventional geothermal and other firm renewables at scale is the central question the Geretsried project is positioned to answer.
Project Timeline
Eavor Signs a Heat Supply Contract to Further Energy Autonomy in Geretsried
Eavor Announces Significant Drilling Performance Gains at Geretsried Geothermal Project
Further Reading
Untitled
Eavor Technologies Achieves First Electricity Production at Geretsried Site
Eavor Technologies has achieved its first electricity production at the Geretsried site in Germany, marking the world’s first commercial delivery of power from a closed-loop geothermal system and a major milestone for scalable, clean energy technology.
Eavor Announces Significant Drilling Performance Gains at Geretsried Geothermal Project
Eavor announced significant drilling performance gains at its Geretsried geothermal project in Germany, demonstrating major operational improvements and validating the scalability and commercial viability of its closed-loop geothermal technology for global clean energy markets.
Chubu Electric Power to Acquire 20% Interest in Gunfleet Sands Offshore Wind Farm in the United Kingdom
Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. announced the commencement of partial commercial operation at the Geretsried Geothermal Project in Germany, which uses next-generation closed-loop geothermal technology to generate electricity and provide district heating.
Eavor’s Next-Generation Geothermal Project is Awarded a €91.6 Million Grant from the European Innovation Fund
Eavor’s next-generation geothermal project in Geretsried, Germany, has been awarded a €91.6 million grant from the European Innovation Fund to support the world’s first commercial Eavor-Loop, a scalable, zero-emission heat and power generation technology aimed at advancing Europe’s renewable energy and climate goals.
Eavor signs geothermal heat supply contract with Geretsried, Germany
Eavor Erdwärme Geretsried has signed a contract to supply 81,200 MWh of geothermal heat annually to the new district heating network in Geretsried, Germany, marking the first commercial-scale use of Eavor-Loop technology in the region.
Eavor reports drilling to 7000m measured depth at Geretsried project, Germany
Eavor has reached a drilling depth of 7,000 meters at its Geretsried geothermal project in Germany, marking significant progress in constructing the world’s first commercial-scale Eavor-Loop closed-loop geothermal system.
Eavor nimmt Stromproduktion am Standort Geretsried auf
Eavor hat am Standort Geretsried erstmals Strom aus seiner innovativen, geschlossenen Geothermie-Anlage ins öffentliche Netz eingespeist und damit einen wichtigen Meilenstein für die kommerzielle Nutzung dieser Technologie erreicht.
Canadian clean energy technology to be used in Germany, Trudeau announces
Germany is investing in Canadian geothermal energy technology, specifically the Eavor-Loop system developed in Alberta, to help power and heat homes sustainably as part of its broader renewable energy strategy.
Eavor Signs a Heat Supply Contract to Further Energy Autonomy in Geretsried
Eavor has signed a heat supply contract with Isar Loisach Naturwärme GmbH to deliver clean geothermal energy to Geretsried’s district heating network, marking a significant step toward regional energy autonomy and climate neutrality.
Projekt Geretsried
The Eavor-Loop™ Geretsried project is the world’s first closed-loop geothermal power plant, designed to supply the Geretsried region in Germany with renewable district heating and electricity while significantly reducing CO₂ emissions using innovative, water-free geothermal technology.
Eavor’s Next-Generation Geothermal Project is Awarded a €91.6 Million Grant from the European Innovation Fund
Eavor’s next-generation geothermal project in Geretsried, Germany, has been awarded a €91.6 million grant from the European Innovation Fund to support the world’s first commercial Eavor-Loop, a scalable, zero-emission geothermal energy system for heat and power generation.
Drilling Commences with Bit Dedication Ceremony for the World’s First Commercial Eavor-Loop™ in Geretsried
Drilling has begun on the world’s first commercial Eavor-Loop™ geothermal project in Geretsried, Germany, following a bit dedication ceremony, marking a major milestone for scalable, location-independent clean energy production..
HYBRIT-REC: Demonstration of a fossil-free hydrogen-based direct reduction process with electric melting for the production of fossil-free crude steel
The document describes the "HYBRIT-100" project, which aims to demonstrate the first 100% hydrogen-based direct reduction of iron ore at an industrial scale to produce fossil-free steel, significantly reducing CO2 emissions in the steel industry.