STRABAG SE subsidiary Ilbau Liegenschaftsverwaltung AG of Hoppegarten, Germany, and Vienna-based RAG have acquired equal parts of Geoenergie Bayern Projekt Garching a. d. Alz GmbH & Co. KG. The purchase agreement with the previous owner, Geoenergie Bayern Verwaltungs GmbH, is legally binding and the transaction has been approved by the competition authorities.
The company, which will be renamed Silenos Energy, will continue to manage and develop the deep geothermal energy project in the Bavarian municipality of Garching an der Alz. The goal is to tap the geothermal resources of the south-eastern Molasse basin, a foreland basin to the Bavarian Alps. Several prerequisites had to be fulfilled in the past few years to realise this project - a large number of reports, approvals, concessions and planning documents have already been granted, including permission to build the site and the construction permit for the facility.
For STRABAG and RAG, the joint project offers the opportunity to tap into the future-oriented business field of deep geothermal energy in Germany. The combination of the competences of the two partners is a central factor for success, as Christian Steinbauer, one of the two managing directors of the company, emphasised: "With this cooperation, we have created the ideal conditions to realise the project: RAG contributes its comprehensive know-how in deep drilling technology and STRABAG in power plant construction and plant engineering."
Oliver Friedlaender, Silenos managing director from RAG, adds: "With Silenos Energy, we are creating a unique combination of competencies for the geothermal energy market. A priority in our activities is the transparent dialogue as well as the trusting and sustainable relationships with our direct environment. Silenos Energy sees itself as an end-to-end, reliable partner for its clients that unites financing security and state-of-the-art technology to realise the best solution."
In the first phase of the project, initial work on the site will begin at the end of the year. The entire project schedule up to plant operation covers a period of about 33 months. The facility is planned to achieve an installed capacity of up to 3.5 MWe (electricity) and 6.2 MWth (heat). The plant should be able to feed up to 26 GWh of electricity into the grid and produce up to 20 GWh of heat a year.
STRABAG SE is a European-based technology group for construction services, a leader in innovation and financial strength. Our services span all areas of the construction industry and cover the entire construction value chain. We create added value for our clients by our specialised entities integrating the most diverse services and assuming responsibility for them. We bring together people, materials and machinery at the right place and at the right time in order to realise even complex construction projects - on schedule, of the highest quality and at the best price. The hard work and dedication of our close to 72,000 employees allow us to generate an annual output volume of about 14 billion. At the same time, a dense network of numerous subsidiaries in many European countries and on other continents is helping to expand our area of operation far beyond the borders of Austria and Germany. More information is available at www.strabag.com.
RAG
The Austrian company RAG has provided its customers with safe, efficient, environmentally friendly and affordable energy from local production for over 80 years. We apply the geological know-how established over decades of experience to the gas storage facilities needed to ensure the energy supply and for geothermal applications. The geothermal projects in Fürstenfeld, Munich-Riem and Simbach-Braunau (Bavaria/Upper Austria) as well as several thermal spas in Styria (Loipersdorf, Blumau, Waltersdorf) go back to bores performed by RAG. RAG sees itself as a renewable energy partner and is conducting intense research in the field of power-to-gas technology in which electrical power from wind and solar generation is transformed into gas. More information is available at www.rag-austria.at.
Silenos Energy GmbH
In its core business, Silenos Energy combines expertise in power plant construction and plant engineering (STRABAG) and in deep drilling technology (RAG) to develop, build and operate geothermal energy plants. This combination of competencies is unique on the geothermal energy market. Silenos Energy carries out all works in accordance with the company's DGES concept: drilling competence, geological know-how, and surface engineering expertise.
The design-build-operate process at Silenos Energy is carried out in a constructive dialogue and in agreement with government and society, especially at the local level. Because only reasonably designed and professionally built projects can bring a region added value. More information is available at www.silenos-energy.com.
