• Insurance against Drilling Exploration Risk:

Under the conceptional guidance of Rödl & Partner it was managed for the first time to develop a sustainable concept for a private-sector insurance agreement. The insurance contract for the project in Unterhaching could be signed in November 2003.

• Financing/Subsidies:

In Unterhaching, the financing concept comprises self-financing from budget funds and furthermore, besides classical financing instruments, the application of funds.

Due to the pilot character of the project the “Geothermie Unterhaching GmbH & Co. KG” decided to apply for funds of the program “Förderung von Demonstrationsvorhaben” (promotion of demonstration projects), which are provided by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety by means of the KfW Banking Group.

The complete application for the appropriation was designed and created by Rödl & Partner. By means of the importance of geothermal energy as a new powerful source of energy for Germany the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety corresponded to the project application to the greatest possible extent and granted funds of up to 4.8 million €. During the course of the project, a further 2 million € of funds could be obtained.

This project was exceptionally innovative and pioneering for a number of reasons:

• For the first time the Molasse Basin in Southern Germany was tapped for geothermal electricity generation.
• For the first time in Germany a highly innovative power generating technology known as the KALINA-process was used on an industrial scale.
• For the first time in the Molasse Basin thermal drilling produced a delivery of up to 150 l/s.
• For the first time an underwater pump for a temperature of 123.5 °C and a delivery of 150 l/s was installed in a borehole.
• For the first time in the Molasse Basin a thermal drilling reached a depth of approx. 3,390 m.