Slovenian hydro-based electricity producer Dravske Elektrarne Maribor (DEM), which operates within HSE Group, has started the construction of a pilot geothermal power plant with installed capacity of 50 kW.
The statement from the company said that the construction works on the geothermal plant in Lendava municipality are carried out by Petrol Geo and start-up tests are planned in June 2023. The permit for the project was obtained last May. DEM said that the plant should enter commercial operation in April 2024.
The pilot project will be implemented at the abandoned Pg-8 oil and gas well, near Centiba, using innovative heat transfer technology. The pilot plant will have an installed power of 50 kW and will work with the help of a gravitational geothermal heat pipe, without emitting gases that are usually produced in conventional binary geothermal power plants. The value of the investment is one million euros.