Geothermal district heating in Roosna-Alliku
Overview
Roosna-Alliku is small community south-east of the capital Tallinn with about 430 inhabitants and since late 2023 the sight of a pilot geothermal district heating network. Five 500-meter-deep wells are drilled to provide several buildings with clean heat from the earth, among them a kindergarten, a school, a municipal building, and an apartment association. If the drillings are successful, a 400 kW heat pump will be installed to complement the geothermal source and to replace the previous source of heating, fossil-fuelled boilers. The geothermal plant is expected to be commissioned in September 2024.
The local residents’ response has been positive, and many have expressed their hope that more buildings would be connected to the heating network in the future. Although the price of heat is still to be decided, it is expected to be half of costs to date.
“There is no local resistance. Rather, people are curious and glad that our village has been selected for such a special project”
The geothermal heat network in Roosna-Alliku is the second project that is part of the GEOENEST initiative by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications to assess the potential of geothermal energy for district heating solutions with a total budget of EUR 3.8 million. The first project, a geothermal heating in an apartment block in Tallinn, has already successfully started operations in April 2024. See the story here. The third will be a 5th Generation District Heat and Cold grid at the Arbavere Research Centre which is to start in 2024.
Summary
Biggest geothermal project in Estonia to date
To supplying a kindergarten, a school, a municipal building, and an apartment association with clean heat
Price of heat expected to be reduced by 50%
Commissioning expected in September 2024 after less than one year of works