• Production and injection test to analyze Vienna Basin’s geothermal potential
• Testing is completed
• Further analyses are pending

OMV conducted a production and injection test in fall 2022 to analyze the geothermal potential in the Vienna Basin, Lower Austria. The test took place in the basement of the Vienna Basin, in the “Hauptdolomit”. A workover prepared the OMV well Aderklaa 96 for testing at a depth of about 2,900 m. Formation water was produced, temporarily stored above ground in sealed containers, and then fed back into the formation. The aim of the geothermal test was to determine important reservoir parameters and to obtain samples of the formation water in order to decide whether this formation is suitable for producing geothermal energy for direct heat use. 

The actual testing has been completed and the testing facility is being dismantled again. The OMV experts are satisfied with the initial results: Water could be produced with temperatures of 102 degrees Celsius at a rate of up to 40 m3/h and has been reinjected successfully. In the coming months, the next step is to analyze various parameters of the data obtained to check the technical feasibility and subsequently the economic viability.

“OMV aims to become a net-zero emissions company by no later than 2050. That is why geothermal energy plays an important role in OMV’s low carbon business. Our strength in the geothermal sector is our extensive expertise above and below ground. We are using our know-how to drive the energy transition,” said Angelika Zartl-Klik, OMV Senior Vice President Low Carbon Business.

In its Strategy 2030, OMV, the international integrated oil, gas and chemicals company headquartered in Vienna, has set itself the goal of expanding its low carbon business and thereby its range of low carbon energy. OMV’s energy production from geothermal energy is expected to grow to up to 9 TWh by 2030.

OMV Geothermal operations

Comfortable atmosphere included
OMV draws on decades of expertise when it comes to locating and economically developing deposits. Geothermal drilling is comparable to drilling for oil or gas. With geothermal heat, OMV focuses on the hydrothermal use of deep geothermal energy, meaning that it uses natural deep water at depths of up to 5,000 meters to generate energy. OMV is currently working on two development projects in the field of geothermal energy: one located in the Vienna Basin in Austria, and the other in Germany. In Germany, OMV has a 50 percent share in the geothermal “Projekt Thermo” in Lower Saxony, working together with other partners.

Sights set on industrial application
According to OMV experts, the geothermal conditions in the Vienna Basin are suitable for use as a direct heat carrier. In northern Germany, geothermal energy could be used to generate electricity. Industrial and agricultural uses also have great potential - for example the provision of heat for breweries, dairies, the paper industry, aquacultures and greenhouses.

Start of geothermal projects in OMV
A concrete and important project for the analyses of the geothermal potential in the Vienna Basin is the production test in the well AD96 between Aderklaa and Deutsch Wagram. Geologically, this test takes place in the basin basement of the Vienna Basin, in the ‘Hauptdolomit’, which is found at a depth of about 2,900 m at this location. This project fits perfectly with the goals of OMV's Strategy 2030, playing an important role for the future business field of geothermal energy in order to provide CO2-free energy.

KeyFacts Energy: OMV Austria country profile   l   KeyFacts Energy: Geothermal news