Geological and geophysical characterisation of the<br>exploration boreholes EB1 and EB2, Inde Syncline, Rhenohercynian Fold-and-Thrust<br>Belt and Weisweiler Horst, Lower Rhine Embayment, Germany - Zeitschrift der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Geowissenschaften Band 177 Heft 2 — Schweizerbart science publishers

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Home<br>Journals & Series<br>Zeitschrift der De...r Geowissenschaften<br>Prepublication papers<br>Geological and geo... Embayment, Germany

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Original paper

Geological and geophysical characterisation of the<br>exploration boreholes EB1 and EB2, Inde Syncline, Rhenohercynian Fold-and-Thrust<br>Belt and Weisweiler Horst, Lower Rhine Embayment, Germany

Jüstel, Alexander; Becker, Stephan; Mamonov, Eugen; Reinsch, Thomas; Orth, Frederik; Pickarski, Nadine; Gaus, Garri; Delzig, Laura; Kruszewski, Michal; Jones, Adam; Ahrens, Benedikt; Salamon, Martin; Sachse, Frank; Oswald, Thomas

Zeitschrift der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Geowissenschaften Band 177 Heft 2 (2026) , p. 249 - 278

85 references

published: Jul 14, 2026<br>published online: Jun 2, 2026<br>manuscript accepted: Mar 4, 2026<br>final revised version received: Jan 26, 2026<br>manuscript revision requested: Apr 25, 2025<br>manuscript received: Dec 9, 2024

DOI: 10.1127/zdgg/0482

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ArtNo. ESP171017702005, Price: 29.00 &euro;

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Abstract

Within the framework of the industrial transformation (“Strukturwandel”) in the<br>Rhenish Lignite Mining Area, alternative heat sources are becoming increasingly<br>important to meet municipal heat demand. This need becomes even more pressing<br>with the phase-out of the lignite-fired coal power plant in Weisweiler in 2029.<br>It currently provides approx. 165 MWth of heat to district heating<br>networks in the Rhenish Lignite Mining Area. The development of medium-deep<br>(>400 m) and deep geothermal reservoirs (> 1,500 m) could be a partial<br>solution to provide renewable heat to single buildings, residential or<br>commercial neighbourhoods, or districts of the city of Aachen via the existing<br>district heating network. Two exploratory wells (EB1 and EB2) were drilled next<br>to an existing drill site by RWE Power AG within the exploration framework for<br>geothermal energy and the construction of new research facilities on the<br>premises of the power plant in Weisweiler. The first well, EB1, was drilled in<br>October 2023 with a measured total depth of 100 m while the second one, EB2, was<br>drilled in February 2024 with a measured total depth of 506 m. EB1 was equipped<br>with a 3-component seismometer while a double-U heat exchanger was installed in<br>EB2. Both boreholes are equipped with fibre optic cables along their entire<br>length. An enhanced geothermal response test to estimate the effective thermal<br>conductivities was performed in the second borehole. The cuttings, the core<br>material, and geophysical logs provide information about the distribution of<br>Cenozoic and Palaeozoic deposits of the Weisweiler Horst of the Lower Rhine<br>Embayment. The Palaeozoic deposits of the Inde Syncline of the Rhenohercynian<br>Fold-and-Thrust Belt are encountered at a depth of approximately 70 m. The<br>observations enable the characterisation of depositional sequences (cyclothems)<br>of the Upper Carboniferous and support the evaluation of the structural and<br>petrophysical properties of the encountered alternating layers of mudstone,<br>siltstone, sandstone, and hard coal. Current structural geological models of the<br>area can now be revised to include the more certain stratigraphic boundaries of<br>the Breitgang and Aussenwerke formations. Similarly, it will be possible to<br>recalculate the depth distribution of the Lower Carboniferous Kohlenkalk<br>carbonates by performing an uncertainty analysis. These boreholes mark the<br>initial phase of geothermal exploration of the potential reservoirs around<br>Weisweiler. Seismic campaigns and deep exploration wells are planned to continue<br>exploring the subsurface of the region in the coming years.

Kurzfassung

Aufgrund der Abschaltung des RWE-Kohlekraftwerkes Weisweiler im Jahre 2029, das<br>ca. 165 MWth Wärme für Fernwärmenetze im Rheinischen Revier<br>bereitstellt, werden Alternativen für die klimaneutrale, kommunale<br>Wärmeversorgung gesucht....