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Germany’s Hidden Heat Rush: Inside the Massive Urban Geothermal Hunt Beneath Erfurt’s Streets

Germany’s Urban Geothermal Gamble: Inside the Massive 3D Seismic Campaign Beneath Erfurt’s Streets by Geofizyka Torun By : Robert Buluma  In the heart of Germany, something extraordinary is happening beneath the sidewalks, apartment blocks, cafés, and busy streets of Erfurt. While most residents move through their daily routines unaware, fleets of heavy vibrotrucks and thousands of seismic receivers have been quietly scanning the Earth below the city in one of Europe’s most ambitious urban geothermal exploration campaigns. The recent completion of a demanding 3D seismic survey campaign by Geofizyka Torun S.A. marks far more than a technical milestone. It represents a glimpse into the future of European energy — a future where cities no longer rely heavily on imported fossil fuels, but instead tap into the immense heat hidden beneath their own foundations. Germany’s geothermal race is accelerating, and Erfurt has suddenly become one of the most fascinating battlegrounds in Europe’...
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Dow and X-energy advanced mobile reactor at an industrial site under US DOE the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program

Dow has partnered with X-energy under the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) Cooperative Agreement with the US Department of Energy (DOE) to install their Xe-100 high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) plant at one of Dow's sites on the US Gulf Coast.

(image source:unsplash.com)

This collaboration aims to provide safe, reliable, and low-carbon power and steam to the site within this decade. The Joint Development Agreement (JDA) includes up to $50 million in engineering work, with half of it to be funded by Dow and the other half eligible for funding through ARDP. The JDA also involves the preparation and submission of a Construction Permit application to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).


Dow's Chairman and CEO, Jim Fitterling, stated that the use of X-energy's nuclear technology will enable Dow to reduce its carbon emissions and deliver lower-carbon footprint products to its customers and society. The parties expect to finalize site selection in 2023, subject to DOE review and approval. Dow and X-energy plan to undertake further ARDP-related work under the JDA as the project progresses. The companies have also agreed to develop a framework to jointly license and utilize the technology and learnings from the project, allowing other industrial customers to leverage Xe-100 industrial low carbon energy technology.


X-energy's HTGR technology is more advanced than existing light water and other small modular reactors, as it can support broad industrial applications through its high-temperature heat and steam output, which can be integrated into and address the needs of both large and regional electricity and/or industrial manufacturing systems. The four-reactor Xe-100 nuclear plant will provide a Dow facility with cost-competitive, low-carbon process heat and power to make essential products used by consumers and businesses every day. X-energy's modular design is road-shippable, which is intended to drive scalability, accelerate construction timelines and create more predictable and manageable construction costs.


X-energy was awarded up to $1.2 billion under the ARDP in federal cost-shared funding to develop, license, build, and demonstrate an operational advanced reactor and fuel fabrication facility by the end of the decade. Since the award, X-energy has completed the engineering and basic design of the nuclear reactor, advanced development of a fuel fabrication facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and is preparing to submit an application for licensure to the NRC. The collaboration between Dow and X-energy serves as a leading example of how the industrial sector can safely, effectively, and affordably decarbonize and reduce emissions in the energy-intensive industrial sector.


source:(X-energy.com)

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