Drilling operations at the Geretsried site (source: Eavor Technologies)
Eavor Technologies has announced that it will be withdrawing the two drilling rigs from the site of the company’s commercial-scale project in Geretsried, Germany. Citing the costs being incurred by retaining rigs and specialist services on site, the move aims to better position the company to move forward with commercial work for the project.
Before the end of 2025, Eavor announced the start of electricity supply from the Geretsried site. This project represents the first commercial deployment of the company’s Eavor-Loop technology for closed-loop geothermal.
Although the milestone validated many technical aspects of Eavor’s closed-loop concept, challenges in execution prevented the project from reaching its operational targets. A few months after the start of electricity supply, the company disclosed that the Geretsried site only achieved between 0.5 to 2.0 MWe of gross power generation, with practically no power delivered to the grid.
Eavor states that Geretsried remains a priority project for the company. Since bringing the first loop into operation, the company has continued working closely with its partners and community to improve the commercial structure of the project, including negotiating a firm heat offtake agreement. The company concedes that this will take some time, hence the decision to withdraw the drilling rigs, but that it will put the project in the strongest possible position to continue with Loop 2.
Isar Loisach Naturwärme (ILN), the district heating company founded by Stadtwerke Geretsried, expressed disappointment that the project has been further delayed. In 2024, Eavor signed a heat supply agreement with ILN for 81,200 MWh per annum of heat to the district heating network. In light of the recent developments, the municipal company will now reassess the path to securing an economical and climate-friendly heat supply to Gerestried. Options include further cooperation with Eavor as well as alternative or supplementary options for heat generation.