InfrastructureParis airport first in Europe to use geothermal power

Greenaironline says that Paris-Orly airport is gearing up to for a $17.5 million project to build a geothermal station which will provide the airport with up to a third of its energy needs. It would be the first airport in Europe to make a major commitment to renewable energy, and the airport authority expects that it will save money and cut emissions by reducing its fuel needs by thousands of tons a year. Paris-Orly, which is south of the city and is for primarily domestic and continental flights, is well positioned for the project. The airport sits on a hot water table where the water temperature reaches 74 degrees C (165 degrees F) at a depth of 5,500 feet. To access the hot water, two shafts will be drilled underground to the hot water aquifier. Natural pressure sill send water shooting up one of the pipes to a geothermal station, then to the airport’s existing power station and heating system. It will then be sent back into the ground through the second pipe at 110 degrees F.

The geothermal system is not intended to replace Orly’s conventional fossil fuel power infrastructure, but to supplement it. Early estimates say the project could save Orly 3,600 tons of fuel per year, which would cut CO2 emissions by 7,000 tons. With the exception of some trace gases, geothermal power emits only excess steam. The company that operates Paris-Orly, ADP, says the project will supply energy to the airport’s Hilton Hotel, business center, and parts of its west and south terminals. They expect the project to be up and running by 2010.