Joint press release by the City of Hanover, enercity and Eavor
– City paves the way for green heat from Hanover-Lahe with long-term leasehold agreement
– Around 20,000 households are to be supplied with climate-friendly district heating from a depth of around 3,200 meters.
– Project by Enercity and Eavor supplies up to 30 MW of baseload-capable power for the Hanover district heating network
– First installation of its kind in a major German city
The state capital of Hanover is sending a strong signal for climate protection and the heating transition: Together with the energy company Enercity and geothermal pioneer Eavor, it is driving forward one of Europe’s first urban deep geothermal projects. Starting in 2027, renewable heat is to be extracted from a depth of approximately 3,200 meters on a municipal property in Hanover-Lahe and fed into the district heating network. The city of Hanover is providing the land at the corner of Kirchhorster Straße and Alte Peiner Heerstraße for this purpose as part of a long-term leasehold agreement.
“Hanover is a pioneer because it is the first facility of its kind in a major city. Our aim is to make the more rural, climate-friendly geothermal energy suitable for urban areas as well and to provide a blueprint for other cities,” says Hanover’s mayor, Belit Onay. “This project is a crucial step toward converting Hanover’s district heating supply to renewable and independent energy. The innovative approach will arouse interest in the solution beyond the capital.”
Green heat for 20,000 households
The Eavor-LoopTM is a closed system. It works like a large underground heat exchanger. State-of-the-art drilling technology and an innovative drilling design enable a baseload-capable heat supply that is independent of weather conditions. Two of these systems, each with an output of 15 MW, are planned for the Hanover-Lahe site. In the future, they are expected to supply around 250 million kilowatt hours per year — enough to heat up to 20,000 households.
“Enercity is a front-runner in the energy and heating transition. That is why, together with our partner Eavor, we are bringing this innovative geothermal technology to a major German city for the first time. Together, we are not only driving forward the project in Hanover, but also actively shaping the energy future in northern Germany together with local partners and our exclusive cooperation with Eavor. After all, investing in the energy transition means investing in regional value creation and security of supply for the business location,” says Enercity CEO Aurélie Alemany.
Innovative technology, new standards
Eavor’s closed system operates without access to natural hot water reservoirs. Instead, a water-based medium circulates through kilometers of deep boreholes — driven solely by the thermosiphon effect. The heat is absorbed from the surrounding rock by thermal conduction and transported to the surface.
“Our aim is to use scalable deep geothermal energy to supply cities with renewable and reliable energy — without emissions, fracking, or thermal sources. Hanover is the first major city in Germany where we have been given the opportunity to implement this technology — we are very grateful to the state capital and Enercity for this,” says Marco Becker, Managing Director of Eavor GmbH. “Following our first project in Geretsried, this is a milestone for our company and a clear sign of the transformation in heat supply.”
A project innovation whose appeal extends beyond Hanover
The geothermal plant is expected to cover around 15 to 20 percent of Hanover’s district heating requirements. It is thus making a significant contribution to the city’s planned climate neutrality by 2035 and to the phaseout of coal.
“Innovative and sustainable key technologies such as the Eavor-LoopTM are essential for a sustainable energy supply and a strong business location. As the state capital, we are assuming responsibility and are enabling the implementation of this forward-looking project by providing the land,” emphasizes Anja Ritschel, Hanover’s Head of Economic and Environmental Affairs.
Next steps and public dialogue
On Wednesday, September 3, 2025, the project will be on the agenda of the Bothfeld-Vahrenheide district council in the public part of the meeting. Representatives from Eavor and Enercity will be on hand to answer questions from district council members.
Eavor and Enercity will also be presenting the project on Geothermal Energy Day, which will be held on September 12–13, 2025 at the State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology in Stilleweg. Online information Geothermal Energy Day 2025 — Experience geothermal energy! | State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology
Media contact:
Landeshauptstadt Hannover
Public Relations Office | presse@hannover-stadt.de
enercity AG
Corporate Communications | presse@enercity.de
Eavor
Alexander Land
presse@eavor.de
Phone: +49 211 16975925
Eavor GmbH is a subsidiary of Eavor Technologies Inc. Its task is to develop geothermal heat and power generation projects in Germany. Eavor Technologies Inc., the parent company, was founded in Canada in 2017 by specialists from the energy sector. Numerous groundbreaking patents in drilling technology and in the sealing of boreholes form the foundation of Eavor-Loop™ technology. In Geretsried, Eavor™ is writing the next chapter of the energy transition. The Eavor-Loop™ is a geothermal power station with a closed system. In an underground heat exchanger, a heat transfer fluid circulates independently in the plutonic rock. Thermal water is not required.