Wedoany.com Report-Mar 27, The town of Bóly in Baranya County in southwest Hungary is set to upgrade and expand their existing district heating system which was first developed back in 2004. The upgrade will cost around HUF 189 million (approx. USD 509 million) and will be co-financed by the local government, the Hungarian government, and the Swiss-Hungarian Cooperation Program (Swiss Fund).

Batthyány-Montenuovo mansion in Bóly, Hungary

The first thermal well in Bóly was drilled in 2004 at the city center, which was soon followed up with several additional wells. Since 2008, public institutions in Bóly have been supplied by geothermal water for heating. From 13 TJ in 2008, the amount of geothermal energy sold from the system has increased to 20 TJ. Accordingly, the total flowrate has increased from 125 to almost 200 cubic meters per year.

Dávid Fehérvári, the independent mayor of Bóly, said that the town’s experience with geothermal has been very positive, but the existing geothermal system has also reached its upper limit. With this in mind, the local government drilled a new well in 2023 to increase thermal water production. The next step would be to upgrade the technology of the system, which is the goal of the newly funded project.

The upgrade will be funded by HUF 93 million from the local government, HUF 14 million, the Hungarian government, and another HUF 81 million from the Swiss Fund (Elsewhere in Hungary, the Swiss Fund is also supporting a geothermal project at the Bundzsák Dezso Urban Sports Center in Kiskunhalas).

According to the project description, the investment will make establish new heating centers, upgrade the current technology to be more efficient, and build an additional five kilometers of pipeline. The new pipeline will serve businesses operating in the local industrial park and will supply geothermal heat to agricultural facilities, including a greenhouse and crop drying facility.