Trias Westland Geothermal energy project

The Trias Westland geothermal project is a partnership between Flora Holland, HVC, Westland Infra and the Municipality of Westland. It is the first geothermal project in the Netherlands that will drill as deep as the Trias layer, situated at a depth of 4 kilometers. For the project T&A Survey as designed a unique combined geotermal system. In 2017 the first test drilling will take place. If the results of the  test drilling are positive, the Trias Westland geothermal doublet will be completed with a second drilling, which will make the actual heat extraction possible.

Trias layer
The Trias drillings will be the deepest geothermal drillings ever performed in the Netherlands. Other geothermal projects in the surroundings went as deep as the Lower Creatceous, at a depth of 2.5-2.8 kilometers. This sand stone layer can provide for 10 to 20% of the heat demand of te Westland greenhouse area. A geological study performed by T&A Survey for the Municipality of Westland has shown that the deeper situated Trias sand stone layer, at a depth of 4 kilometers, has a heat potential able to provide for about 80% of the heat demand of the Westland area. The temperature of the water in this more than 200 million years old layer is around 130 to 150 °C.

An innovative drilling concept
The first drilling will be performed in the surroundings of the floricultural auction of Flora Holland Naaldwijk and goes hand in hand with a comprehensive research program, which will provide all  relevant information on the suitability and productivity of the Trias layer. Another interesting detail is that the drillings initially will be directed to the Lower Cretaceous layer, and only afterwards continue to the Trias reservoir. The geothermal system will be implementend depending on the success of the drillings to both layers.

February 2018: Trias Westland to become Lower Cretaceous project
The Lower Cretaceous layer, which is located at a depth of approximately 2.7 kilometers. Other Westland geothermal projects  also extract their heat from this layer. The Triassic layer, located at a depth of 4 kilometers, turned out not to be suitable for cost-effective heat recovery. The Lower Cretaceous layer instead, or more specifically the Delft sandstone layer, appears to be even better than originally thought.