Baker Hughes granted geothermal exploration permit for Ahnsbeck, Germany

Wienhausen Monastery in Celle, Germany (source: Loose, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Carlo Cariaga 6 Nov 2023

Baker Hughes InteQ GmbH, based in Celle, Germany, has been assigned the Ahnsbeck permit field for the exploration of geothermal energy for commercial purposes. The permit, granted by the State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology (LBEG), is initially limited to five years until 30 September 2028.

The permit field is located in the southeastern district of Celle and has an area of 144 square kilometers. Information on the permit has been distributed to the affected communities of  Ahnsbeck, Beedenbostel, Eicklingen, Eldingen, Eschede, Hohne, Lachendorf, Langlingen and the monastery community of Wienhausen.

The Ahnsbeck permit field is also located almost immediately to the east of the Altencelle permit field, which had also been assigned to Baker Hughes earlier this year.

The mining permit only gives Baker Hughes INTEQ GmbH the basic right to carry out the search. Actual exploration activities may only take place after approval of operating plans under mining law, for which, among other things, a separate participation procedure is necessary.

At the time of granting of this permit, the LBEG had already awarded a total of 18 geothermal exploration permits in Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, and Hamburg. This includes the aforementioned Altencelle permit, the Buchholz permit field granted to Eavor, and the Norderstedt permit field granted to Stadtwerke Norderstedt among others.

Source: LBEG Niedersachsen