The moment has finally arrived! After 8 years of talking, we at Forever Plants now have truly sustainable heat, namely heat from our own subsoil!
Together with 48 fellow growers, we launched the Trias geothermal project. After a great deal of talking, investing and above all patience, this has now been supplying all the heat we need for two months. Over the past two months we haven’t even used any gas at all!
Of course, we won’t be able to keep this up all year round. Naturally, we use more energy in winter than in summer. Geothermal heat delivers the same amount of warmth year-round, so this means we will still use some gas in winter.
Another reason is that the electricity we generate ourselves with our CHP (combined heat and power) is produced from gas, but this is still better than the large coal-fired power stations you find at the Maasvlakte. For anyone who is interested, our colleagues Mart and Leon can give a short tour and demonstrate the heat exchanger.
I myself will remain active as chairman of the Trias Cooperative. The next step will be drilling a second well. This is expected to take place next year, so that even more geothermal heat can be delivered in 2021. In addition, we are investigating whether supplying residual heat via the same network could be an option for the winter months. That would mean we wouldn’t have to use gas in winter either.
So all in all, we at Forever Plants are doing a great job being sustainable! Spread the word to all your business contacts, acquaintances and family: those growers aren’t so daft after all!
