Extension of the GEORO II Network Project

Structural Change: GEORO Combines Mining Tradition and Future Technology in the Mansfeld Region

The GEORO project is receiving just under 700,000 euros in funding from the federal program to strengthen the momentum of transformation and revitalization in coal-mining regions and at coal-fired power plant sites (STARK).

The project, led by the Eisleben-based Regional Society for Education, Research, and Competence Development, is advancing the process of economically utilizing local geothermal potential from mine water as well as recoverable raw materials from former mining operations. An accompanying educational concept focuses on the cultural heritage of centuries-old copper-slate mining in the Mansfeld region.

Minister President Sven Schulze emphasizes: “The Mansfeld region stands for mining tradition, hard work, and true ingenuity. That is exactly where we are building on. With GEORO, we are connecting our history with modern technology and clean energy. We are turning what has made our region strong into new opportunities for tomorrow. Together with research, business, and education, new value is being created here—and with it, real prospects for the local people. This is how structural change works in Saxony-Anhalt. We can be proud of that.”

GEORO combines scientific expertise with economic viability and strengthens the strategic raw materials base in the region. By potentially opening up new value chains in the field of mineral resources, the project exerts a sustainable structural policy leverage effect and actively contributes to structural change by driving the diversification and technological advancement of the regional economic structure. The integration of a specific educational concept demonstrates the project’s close ties to the region and its industrial history.

Source: Press release from the State Chancellery of Saxony-Anhalt dated March 6, 2026