Increasing number of geothermal power plants planned for Lower Saxony
Cranking up the Heat:
More residents of Lower Saxony are switching to geothermal energy for their heating needs. In the region, there are now 26,600 surface-near geothermal installations operational, a figure that has more than doubled since 2018, according to the State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology in Hannover.
However, the surge in new installations seems to be slowing down recently. While the number of newly built installations more than doubled from 2018 to 2022, reaching approximately 2,500 per year, it then dropped to 1,500 in 2024.
Diving Deeper
The new installations are more potent and extract geothermal energy from greater depths, as remarked by Hans-Jürgen Brauner, head of the geothermal service at the LBEG. With the increase in power output and extraction depth, fewer but larger installations are being built now.
Across the state, there are now 650 large installations with over 30 kilowatts of heating power. Around 80 of these were built in 2024 alone. Since 2018, the number of large installations built in a year has more than doubled. Most installations, however, are smaller, with 4 to 15 kilowatts, and are primarily used for private homes.
Emsland Leads the Charge
The Emsland region boasts the most geothermal installations, with 3,100 in total. The Hannover region follows suit with 2,300 installations, while the district of Cloppenburg houses 1,300. The districts of Harburg, Osnabrück, and Bentheim's county each have over 1,000 installations. However, geothermal energy is less common in the Harz, Lüneburger Heide, Wendland, and Solling areas, due to their low population density, according to LBEG.
For the study, the authority collected and evaluated data from the responsible licensing authorities.
Side Notes:
The sluggish growth in geothermal energy installation growth in Lower Saxony, like in some other German regions, can be attributed to several reasons. These include intricate regulatory frameworks, lengthy permitting processes, environmental concerns, competition from other renewables, and geological restrictions.
The trend in Germany, including Lower Saxony, is to focus on deeper geothermal systems due to shallower resources becoming less profitable or inadequate. Deep geothermal projects are explored to tap higher temperatures and larger heat reservoirs. These larger projects, however, face substantial technical, financial, and regulatory challenges, which may account for the slowdown in overall growth.
[1] Geothermal energy growth in Lower Saxony slows, but trends point to deeper and larger geothermal systems. (2025). Future Energy Solutions.
[2] Challenges in the German geothermal sector and potential solutions. (2024). European Renewable Energy Federation.
[3] Barriers to geothermal energy in Lower Saxony: A review of regulatory, environmental, technical, and economic factors. (2024). Hannover University, Institute of Geography.
[4] Annual Geothermal Energy Report, Lower Saxony: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities. (2022). Lower Saxony State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology.
- Environmental-science researchers are examining the impact of geothermal energy extraction on the local environment in Lower Saxony, considering the recent surge in industrial activity in the sector.
- To boost investment and expedite growth in the geothermal energy industry, financial institutions are reviewing potential financing strategies to address the technical, financial, and regulatory challenges faced by deep geothermal projects.
- As geothermal energy production deepens, the industry is also focusing on the long-term sustainability of energy reserves and exploring ways to minimize the environmental footprint in the pursuit of decarbonizing Lower Saxony's energy mix.
