Project in Friesland aims to draw on residual warmth from Zuidwal volcano for sustainable energy Heat from an extinct volcano could be piped into homes under a plan in the Dutch city of Bolsward The Netherlands may be known for windmills but Ynze Salverda is no fan of the wind turbines proliferating across the country He believes sustainable energy could be generated underground using residual warmth from the Zuidwal volcano deep under the Wadden Sea “It started as a crazy idea,” said Salverda, a board member of Stichting Ontwikkeling Geothermie Friesland (Stogef) “These big wind turbines put a lot of pressure on our landscape but when there is no wind we have a problem I have a background in the oil and gas world and the [increased] temperature is going to the coast.” The Netherlands’ history as a major gas extractor means it has huge amounts of subsurface data “We found out that there is a layer of porous stone so wouldn’t it be an idea to use geothermal energy,” he said “We want to take it in our own hands and work with the local government affordable and it should not be commercialised Using a geothermal “doublet” technique, water can be pumped up from the ground in a production well and the heat extracted in a heat exchanger before the water is reinjected via an injection well The public energy company Energie Beheer Nederland believes 25% of Dutch heat demand could eventually be met by geothermal energy. There are 26 working non-volcanic geothermal energy projects, mostly heating greenhouses between The Hague and Rotterdam, and a national mapping project and plans to more than double geothermal production by 2030 Phil Vardon, a professor of energy geomechanics at Delft University of Technology, is leading the science programme for a 2.5km-deep geothermal project being drilled in Delft to heat the university campus plus the equivalent of 10,000 houses but what it does seem to have done is to increase the temperature locally,” he said “You can see this on temperature maps interpolated from drilling projects One thing that isn’t so good is the ability for the water to flow – there’s a relatively limited thickness reservoir.” a network of professionals supporting local energy initiatives has published an “exploratory investigation” into the potential of 500-metre or 3km-deep structures plus a district heating system with a total estimated cost of between €143m and €188m even if the local area would have to raise 30% of the total “The heat is there but we want ownership as a community we call this MienskipsEnergie [community energy].” The local council of South-west Friesland wants to set up this public heating network and develop more alternative energy sources and is appealing for government and European help “In around 2027 we hope to drill for geothermal heat for Bolsward,” a spokesperson said “Geothermal is a good additional source in the desired energy mix.” Free weekly newsletterThe planet's most important stories Get all the week's environment news - the good However, the Dutch mining regulator is understood to be looking carefully at mining risks in the wake of a scandal around earthquakes caused by gas extraction in Groningen A spokesperson said there was “too little known about the initiative to estimate the risks” the chief executive of Inco-Drilling and an adviser to the project “There are some cases like in Groningen where people are afraid of drilling but the advantage of geothermal is that if you drill two wells one to extract water [and one to] inject it back Hundreds of Dutch people flocked to Rome on Sunday to witness the canonization of Dutch priest and resistance figure Titus Brandsma by the Pope It was the first time in 15 years for a Dutch person to be canonized philosophy professor at what is now Radboud University and vocal opponent of Nazism He was sent to Dachau concentration camp as a "dangerous person" and died there in 1942 Pope Francis canonized Brandsma on Sunday morning in Saint Peter's Square where Dutch people cheered when his sainthood was announced “Titus is an example," a 21-year-old Bolsward native who had traveled to the event with his family "Especially now that the war is going on in Ukraine If you see how journalists are treated there too I think you should be able to say whatever you want Titus was a journalist himself and fought for that freedom during his life.” Brandsma was beatified as a martyr in 1985 But in order to canonize someone as a saint the Vatican requires a miracle to have been performed an American priest named Father Mark Driscoll said Brandsma was involved in his healing from skin cancer with metastases The Vatican recognized Driscoll's recovery as the required miracle Residents of Bolsward told Trouw they hope this might bring interest to the local Titus Brandsma Museum “Maybe Bolsward will become a place of pilgrimage a place where believers come to be close to Titus," said Deacon Kees van Kordelaar Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Dancers from the Lolo Robinson School of Irish Dancing in Bolsward Holland where they represented Ireland at the 26th International Dance Festival in the Dutch town Dancers from the Lolo Robinson School of Irish Dancing travelled to Bolsward where they represented Ireland at the 26th International Dance Festival in the Dutch town The dancers were joined by musicians from Drogheda and Dundalk and travel as 'Brú na Bóinne' They were in Bolsward for almost a week and were joined at the festival by groups from England During the festival the group took part in parades enjoyed a cruise on the canals of this very historic city and performed in schools and retirement homes in the locality They also performed at gala shows and had a reception with the mayor in Bolsward City Hall Brú na Bóinne have represented Ireland at 27 International Festivals over the past 10 years in Belgium They have showcased traditional Irish music song and dance to thousands of people from all over the world 'It has been a wonderful experience for all the dancers and musicians,' said Lolo Robinson 'and we are all looking forward to being ambassadors for Ireland once again next year' CourtsTwo charged further remanded in custody following drugs seizure in LouthTwo men charged in connection with a drugs seizure in Co Louth have been further remanded in custody.