The municipality of Alphen aan den Rijn in South Holland, Netherlands has signed an agreement with Energie Beheer Nederland BV (EBN) to jointly investigate the feasibility of geothermal development, specifically at an area designated for this purpose by the Ministry of Climate and Green Growth. The two parties will work together in the coming years with the aspiration of supplying geothermal heating to the residents by 2033.
In 2025, the Alphen aan den Rijn municipality applied for a Geothermal Search Area Allocation, which was granted by the Ministry of Climate and Green Growth in the same year. Before any development will happen, a multi-year study will have to be done to determine the technical and commercial viability of the project, taking into consideration how homes can be connected to the future heating network. The project partners will also have to identify suitable locations for a geothermal facility, and identify a party that will carry out the project.
A process will also be launched in which residents can contribute their ideas and discussions about geothermal energy extraction in their area. A communication and participation plan will be developed, which will outline how and when residents will be informed and how they can participate.
The vast majority of geothermal heating applications in the Netherlands is used for greenhouses. However, pioneering projects like the one being proposed by Aalphen aan den Rijn is looking into the use of geothermal energy for networked heating systems. In Delft, a geothermal project has just recently started supplying heat to part of the TU Delft campus and several student housing units. In The Hague, the distribution network of Eneco has been connected to a geothermal heat supply since 2020.
Source: Alphen aan den Rijn
