Earthwork

What Earthwork does

ERDWERK GmbH, doing business as Earthwork, is a Munich-headquartered independent planning office founded in 2002 that provides consulting, planning and execution, and project management services for geothermal energy projects. The firm serves municipal utilities, local governments, industrial companies, and international development organizations across Europe, North America, and Africa, with documented project activity in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the United Kingdom, Canada, Tanzania, and Honduras. Its service offering spans deep geothermal (400m+) and near-surface (1-400m) applications and is organized into three interconnected lines: consulting (due diligence, expert opinions, risk assessments), planning and execution (feasibility, exploration, reservoir modeling, drilling supervision, well testing, completion), and project management (permitting, tendering, controlling through completion).

The company's underlying technology is geological, reservoir, and drilling-engineering rather than software-centric: integrated reservoir modeling combining seismic and well-test data with 1-phase, 3-phase, and thermal simulation; wellpath, casing, drilling-fluid, completion, and artificial-lift design; geothermal response testing (GRT); and groundwater balance and thermal modeling. ERDWERK documents a track record of 39 supervised drillings and 143,330 drilling meters, holds a DIN EN ISO 9001-aligned quality management system with a company wiki and ELO document management stack, and maintains an extensive publication record across the World Geothermal Congress, GRC Transactions, and industry journals. The firm is governed by three co-CEOs (Katarina Klaffs, Alexandros Savvatis, Neil Farquharson) and operates as a privately-held German GmbH with no external funding rounds, parent companies, or M&A events disclosed.

Revenue is generated through project-specific consulting engagements billed under professional-services fee structures (no public pricing). Commercial go-to-market is direct B2B sales into a small set of large anchor clients (Stadtwerke München for municipal district heating, MTU Aero Engines for industrial heat, TGDC for international capacity building) supplemented by international development work funded by institutions such as the World Bank and a strategic North American partnership with Société québécoise de géothermie industrielle inc. (SQGI). Marketing relies primarily on industry conferences (EGC, GeoTherm), professional publications, a five-language corporate website, and Twitter/X updates rather than performance or paid digital channels.

Name

Earthwork

Legal name

ERDWERK GmbH

Website

https://erdwerk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ERDWERK GmbH (Earthwork) is a Munich-based independent geothermal planning office founded in 2002, offering consulting, drilling-engineering, and project-management services to municipal utilities, industrial companies, and international development organizations across Europe, North America, and Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geothermal Energy Consulting

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136)

SIC

Oil & Gas Field Services, Nec (1389), Oil & Gas Field Exploration Services (1382)

akta.pro primary industry

Geothermal Power Plant EPC (EUAEAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Geothermal Power Plant EPC & Construction (Surface Facilities, Balance of Plant) (EUAMAEAE)

Keywords

• Geothermal consulting services
• Geothermal drilling planning
• Reservoir modeling engineering
• Hydrogeology consulting services
• Geothermal project management

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Consulting: Due diligence reviews, second opinions, risk analyses, and advisory services for geothermal investments covering geology, hydrogeology, seismicity, drilling technology and geothermal energy.
2. Planning and Execution Services: Comprehensive project planning services including geological modeling, reservoir engineering, drilling program development, and construction supervision for geothermal projects.
3. Project Management Services: Planning, organization, controlling, permitting assistance, and tender management services for geothermal projects from initiation through completion.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ERDWERK GmbH is an independent planning office that provides consulting, planning and execution, and project management services for geothermal energy projects. Its offerings span deep geothermal (400m+) and near-surface geothermal (1-400m) systems and include geological modeling, reservoir engineering, drilling program development, drilling supervision, well testing, and permitting/tender management. Services are delivered to municipal utilities, industrial firms, and international development organizations across Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

Product overview

ERDWERK GmbH is an independent planning office offering consulting services in hydrogeology and drilling technology for geothermal project development. The company operates as a single-service organization with three interconnected service lines: Consulting (Due Diligence, expert opinions, and risk assessments), Planning and Execution (covering deep geothermal, near-surface geothermal, and hydrogeology/balneology), and Project Management (from permits through tendering to completion). The services integrate geological modeling, exploration, drilling engineering, well testing, and reservoir simulation as a unified offering, with specialized workshop and capacity building programs supporting both domestic and international clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Deep Geothermal Energy Services Comprehensive geological and drilling engineering solutions for deep geothermal energy projects (depths of 400m and beyond), including feasibility studies, exploration, drilling supervision, well completion, and permit acquisition for district heating and power generation.
• Near-Surface Geothermal Energy Services Thermal use of subsurface at depths of 1m to approximately 400m for heating and cooling buildings via heat pump systems, serving residential and commercial applications.
• Hydrogeology and Balneology Services Development, utilization, and protection of groundwater resources, including hydrogeological investigations, water quality analysis, well design, and thermal spa (balneology) water development.
• Consulting Services Independent consulting services including Due Diligence reviews, expert opinions on geology, hydrogeology, seismicity, and drilling technology, plus risk analyses for geothermal projects and investments.
• Project Management Services Planning, organization, controlling, permitting and approval procedures, and tendering management for geothermal projects from initiation through completion.
• Workshops and Capacity Building Educational workshops covering project management, risk mitigation, drilling processes, and reservoir modeling, including international capacity building programs for geothermal development.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• IGA GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017ERDWERK participated as part of an IGA GmbH-led team for capacity building in drilling planning for the Ngozi geothermal project in Tanzania. The project was funded by the World Bank.
• Société québécoise de géothermie industrielle inc. (SQGI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerERDWERK is a partner of SQGI supporting the development of Quebec's geothermal potential in industrial, agricultural and district heating sectors. SQGI offers all service lines for project development with current activities including lobbying and feasibility studies.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AFRY: European engineering, design, and advisory firm with a renewable energy practice covering geothermal feasibility, planning, and project management — broader portfolio but competes with ERDWERK for European municipal geothermal mandates.
• Ramboll: Global engineering consultancy with a strong renewable energy practice including geothermal district heating, with deep presence in the Nordics — competes with ERDWERK on multi-disciplinary municipal and industrial geothermal engagements.
• Jacobs: Global professional services firm with a critical mission solutions and energy practice covering geothermal exploration, engineering, and project management — competes with ERDWERK on larger international geothermal projects where scale and balance-sheet matter.
• GeothermEx (SLB): Pioneer geothermal consulting firm (now part of SLB) offering global exploration, reservoir, and resource assessment services. Overlaps with ERDWERK's consulting/due-diligence offering but operates at a much larger scale as part of a global oilfield services giant.
• Tractebel (ENGIE): Large European engineering consultancy under ENGIE providing geothermal project development, due diligence, and owner's engineering services — broader portfolio but competes with ERDWERK on municipal and industrial geothermal tenders.

Direct peers

• Mannvit: Icelandic engineering consultancy with a globally recognized geothermal practice covering feasibility studies, reservoir engineering, drilling supervision, and project management — directly comparable to ERDWERK's end-to-end service model.
• Stucky: Swiss engineering consultancy with established geothermal and hydroelectric expertise covering planning, project management, and construction supervision — directly comparable to ERDWERK's owner-engineer/planning role in European geothermal projects.
• Vatnskil: Specialist geothermal and hydrogeology consultancy offering reservoir modeling, well test analysis, and groundwater assessments — closely aligned with ERDWERK's reservoir characterization and hydrogeology capabilities.
• Iceland GeoSurvey (ÍSOR): Iceland's primary geothermal and geoscience consultancy providing exploration, reservoir modeling, drilling supervision, and project management — directly comparable to ERDWERK's service stack, with similar depth in deep geothermal doublet systems and reservoir engineering.
• GPC Instrumentation Process: French geothermal services firm specializing in drilling engineering, well testing, and instrumentation for deep geothermal projects — directly comparable to ERDWERK's drilling supervision and well test analysis offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ERDWERK_GmbH
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/erdwerk

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Earthwork