NREP Logicenters and QHeat initiate Finland’s first deep geothermal well in Espoo
NREP Logicenters, a leading Nordic real estate investor and developer, and QHeat, a next-generation energy company, have completed their joint pilot project to build a deep geothermal well in Espoo, Finland. The pilot aims to provide a near zero-emission energy solution that can produce up to 40 times more heat energy than traditional ground heat.
NREP Logicenters and QHeat’s pilot project on a deep geothermal well has been completed at NREP Logicenters’ logistics property in Koskelonkuja, Espoo. The pilot is Finland’s first functional geothermal heating plant that can heat as well as cool large property complexes in a nearly emission-free manner.
The deep geothermal well, located on NREP Logicenters’ property, is approximately one kilometer deeper than a regular geothermal heat pump, which enables greater production of energy. The well, which was taken into use in January, is 1,300 meters deep and is estimated to produce more than 1,000 MWh of heat energy per year, which equals the heat consumption of approximately three apartment buildings. The well covers 60–80 percent of the 16,000 m2 logistic property’s heating. In addition, QHeat’s technology enables the property’s cooling during the summer.
“The heating of buildings represents approximately one fourth of the total energy consumption in Finland, and most of this energy is produced with fossil fuels. The only way we can reach our goal of using only renewable energy in our properties is to pilot and scale new solutions such as this one,” says Jani Nokkanen, CIO and partner at NREP.
The drilling of the deep geothermal well began at the end of July 2019, and the well’s heat production began in January 2020. The pilot is part of the Smart Otaniemi innovation ecosystem and received nearly half of its funding from Business Finland.
“We are excited to put into operation Finland’s first functional geothermal heating plant. We are grateful to Business Finland and NREP for funding this pilot. We believe that this technology has significant export potential as a solution to decrease emissions from heating and cooling,” says Miska Eriksson, QHeat’s CEO.
The energy production of NREP Logicenters’ deep geothermal well will be tested during spring and the company aims to utilize the technology also in its other properties.
“QHeat’s technology has great potential, as it enables emission-free geothermal heat also in densely built urban areas. We have already identified large projects in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area in which we would like to scale the technology,” Nokkanen continues.
