(June 25, 2003) They're drilling down into the earth at Messestadt Riem. The goal of the massive bores biting their way through the community's subsoil and rocks is a layer 2,700 to 2,900 meters below the surface.

This layer doesn't contain oil or natural gas. It has, instead, something equally valuable: hot (80° C) water. Once the drilling has been completed, the water, from a vast subterranean lake located underneath much of southern Bavaria, will be conveyed, via a new, 35 centimeter pipeline, to the surface, where it will release its energy into the community's district heating system. The water will then be returned, via a second pipeline, to its subterranean home, to avoid any depletion of the ambient ground water.

Once fully operational (to be achieved by winter 2004-2005), this geothermal system will produce half of the heat needed by Messestadt Riem. This is no small accomplishment. By 2016, the community will be home to 16,000 residents and to companies employing 13,000 persons.

The launching of the new system is good news for the environment. The deployment of the system will enable the community to cut its annual output of climate-damaging carbon dioxide by 12,000 tons.

Featuring the use of a high-profile, 37 meter-high tower, the drilling is being carried out by SWM, Munich's municipal public services authority. The setting and operation of a geothermal system is a further step in the implementation of the authority's policy of promoting the use of sustainable (regenerative) sources of energy.

This policy has also made Munich "the capital of solar energy in Europe", according to the Commission of the European Union.

The decision to base the geothermal system in Messestadt Riem was anything but surprising, notes Gabriele Friderich, head of the municipal department of civil affairs. "Messestadt Riem was planned to be an environmentally friendly community, as its energy-efficient buildings, ample green areas and excellent public transportation all detail," she notes.

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