New vertical drilling rigs to exploit near-surface geothermal energy.
Herrenknecht AG has founded a new subsidiary, "Bohrtec Vertical GmbH", based in Aachen. This company develops, builds and sells innovative vertical drilling rigs for the exploitation of near-surface thermal energy. A prototype is currently under construction and is scheduled to go into operation soon.
Schwanau, April 16, 2007. In addition to deep drilling rigs for the exploitation of deep geothermal energy, to depths of up to 5,000 meters (www.herrenknecht-vertical.de), Herrenknecht now offers vertical drilling rigs for the exploitation of near-surface geothermal energy, with its newly founded subsidiary company, Herrenknecht established "Bohrtec Vertical GmbH" in March 2007 together with its associated company Bohrtec GmbH in Aachen, a leading manufacturer of pilot drilling machines. The exploitation of geothermal energy as a renewable source is expected to become an important growth market for the future, in particular in view of the current discussions about climate change. The high demand for environmentally friendly solutions for energy generation and use results in increased need for drilling equipment for the exploitation of near-surface geothermal energy.
Geothermal energy at depths of 100 to 150 meters can be used to heat and air condition residential, public, office and industrial buildings. Herrenknecht AG, the market leader in mechanized tunnelling technology, and Bohrtec GmbH, Aachen have combined their technological expertise and their many years of experience in this new company. The aim of the company is to develop and manufacture efficient and innovative vertical drilling rigs for near-surface geothermal energy drills. By intensively analyzing the process technology in advance, Bohrtec Vertical's new drilling equipment is optimized for practical operation; they also require considerably less staff than conventional drilling systems. A prototype vertical drilling unit, a type "VB 20", which can drill to depths of 150 meters, is already under construction and will go into operation in June 2007.
