Kalisz prepares site for the GT-1 well
In Kalisz, site preparation is under way for the Kalisz GT-1 exploration well for thermal waters. The work is being carried out on Sportowa Street, near the water park. According to the portal Fakty Kaliskie, the dirt access road will be reinforced with concrete slabs so that heavy equipment can pass.
The borehole contractor is UoS Drilling, chosen in a tender. The company is still completing permits related to exploring the site.
Depth and purpose of the well
The borehole is to reach a maximum depth of 1,700 metres. It is meant to survey the waters of the Jurassic and Triassic formations beneath the city, and tests will determine their temperature, yield and mineralisation. As Kalisz mayor Krystian Kinastowski said, quoted by Fakty Kaliskie, only after the work is done will it be known what the temperature of the water is, along with its quantity, pressure and mineralisation; later use depends on those results.
The tests are exploratory in nature, so decisions on the practical use of the water will follow completion of the well and analysis of its parameters.
Cost and funding
Kalisz is one of the municipalities that received NFOŚiGW support for an exploration well. As the Polish Geothermal Association reported, the project costs more than PLN 22 million; the NFOŚiGW grant is more than PLN 14.5 million.
What happens to the heat
Initially, the heat from the thermal waters would serve nearby public facilities such as the water park and OSRiR. At a later stage it is expected to supply further municipal and residential buildings. For now, however, the results of the well will settle the scale of use.