Aardwarmte Maasdijk has had an eventful time. What began with a successful start and heat delivery on 21 October took an unexpected turn two weeks later. A small fire on site brought geothermal heat extraction and delivery to a halt. Since then, key components have been repaired and they are working towards putting the geothermal well back into operation in February.
"We were incredibly proud to take this step. It felt like the start of a new phase for renewable energy in our region," says Olaf Bresser, project manager. The first heat was delivered to growers in the region. In addition, growers were given the opportunity to trade heat through a special trading platform.
Fire
On Saturday morning 2 November, a small fire broke out at the site, caused by oil that comes up from deep underground when geothermal heat is extracted. This oil reached the flare and caused a fire. "Fortunately, the fire brigade was quickly on site and the fire was quickly under control. No personal injuries occurred, but the damage to the installation was considerable," Olaf explained. The plant had to be shut down, depressurized and thoroughly cleaned by specialist companies.
Investigation and adjustments
Immediately after the incident, State Supervision of Mines (SODM) launched an investigation. At the same time, a 'Root-Cause Analysis', a method to identify the root causes of the incident, was carried out. "A Root-Cause Analysis is essential. We closely scrutinized every part of the plant and the process to prevent a recurrence," Olaf explains. The cause of the fire has since been remedied and adjustments have been made to rule out similar situations in the future, including at other sites.
Work and outlook
In November and December, hard work was done to get the plant operational again. The systems were opened and inspected, cleaned internally and externally, and new instrumentation was ordered. "The delivery time of these parts required some patience, but the work has now been completed," says Olaf. The new instruments have been tested, and the results are being shared with SODM. If all goes according to plan, the well could be back in operation by early February 2025.
Learning and continuing
Meanwhile, the team is also preparing to commission two other doublets. "We continue to learn from what happened. This incident has given us the opportunity to further improve processes and make them even safer. We look forward to a sustainable future in which geothermal heat continues to play an important role," Olaf concludes the update.
Source: Aardwarmte Maasdijk