f Geothermal progress in the Netherlands: is the start-up phase over? And how will this affect geoscientific work?

The first geothermal doublet in the Netherlands was drilled in 2007, at the end of 2016 the geothermal well count was 34. Is the start-up phase of the geothermal industry in the Netherlands at the end and will geothermal energy therefore start to become a significant player in the energy mix? And what does that mean for geoscientific work and knowledge? We now see larger organizations stepping in that plan to develop larger and multiple regions. This development could start a maturation phase. One of the major advantages is that operators with a portfolio of projects and with more knowledge and experience gain trust from financial institutions and government. The change in geoscientific work that corresponds to a professionalization of the geothermal industry is illustrated with an actual project. The breakthrough time of the first doublet of the project was approached by a single box model, to plan future well locations a 3-D reservoir model has been constructed with advanced subsurface static and dynamic modeling tools used in the oil & Gas industry (Petrel and Eclipse). The new approach leads to lower well costs due to an optimum placement of the wells in the reservoir.