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Paper short abstract

The modeled scope of a hydrothermal reservoir in the German state of Bavaria does not align with the region's surface geopolitical boundaries. Our contribution thus explores how the scientific discovery of the hydrothermal reservoir reconfigures geomaterial and geopolitical boundaries.

Paper long abstract

This contribution explores how the so-called Molasse Basin – a water-bearing reservoir located underneath parts of the German State of Bavaria at depths of up to 5000m – was discovered to make deep geothermal energy a promising energy future for the region. To capture the potential of the Molasse Basin, the Bavarian government commissioned geologists to assess the reservoir. Interestingly, the modeled scope of the reservoir in the material underground, as an interconnected basin, does not match the geopolitical boundaries of the region on the surface. Our contribution thus explores how the scientific discovery of the Molasse Basin reconfigures geomaterial and geopolitical boundaries. The analysis of eighteen interviews and document data illustrates how experts actively contribute to opening up and closing down the horizon of action across material, cognitive, spatial, and temporal dimensions. Expert assessment of the Molasse Basin problematized incoherent ‘islands’ of deep geothermal energy plants and a mismatch between the underground geothermal reservoir and surface energy sinks. To make efficient and long-term use of the potential, experts shifted from local heat-mining models to reservoir management models. By projecting the potential of the interconnected reservoir, experts also bring novel objects of expertise and policy-making, such as intercommunal heat networks, into being and make formerly unthinkable notions of a shared energy resource across geopolitical boundaries acceptable and governable. Therewith, knowledge of hydrothermal reservoirs not only reconfigures relationships with the material underground but also shapes trajectories for governing the energy transition on the surface.