Project overview
Transforming abandoned wells for geothermal energy production
The fossil fuels industry is declining in central Europe and leaves behind countless gas and oil wells. The TRANSGEO project is turning this environmental problem into an opportunity: it investigates the potentials of such abandoned infrastructures for producing and storing green geothermal energy. The partnership develops a transnational strategy and regional action plans to give a second life to the wells and tests their repurposing potential in local pilot actions.
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2,61m €
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Project Budget
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80%
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of the Budget is funded by ERDF
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5
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Countries
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8
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Regions
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11
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Partners
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2
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Pilots
Duration
Start date
End date
Project progress
About the project
Project partnership
Project partners
Lead partner
Helmholtz-Centre Potsdam German Research Centre for Geosciences
Department Geosystems, Section Geoenergy
Project partner
Geological Survey
Department of Hydrogeology & Geothermal Energy
N/A
Međimurska energetska agencija, društvo s ograničenom odgovornošću za promicanje i unapređenje poslova vezanih uz obnovljive izvore energije i energetsku učinkovitost u Međimurskoj županiji
Department of Petroleum and Gas Engineering and Energy
Roadmap
Our challenge
The fossil fuels industry is declining in central Europe and leaves behind countless gas and oil wells. We are facing a lack of green energy and CO2 emissions that need to be reduced.
Specific problem
Municipalities, industry and agriculture need heat and electricity.
Innovative idea
Use abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal heat and electricity.
Solution
TRANSGEO will provide technologies and information so that users across Central Europe can match wells to needs (for heath and electricity). This saves millions of Euros to drill new wells and provides sub-surface data to know the heat potential across large areas of Central Europe.
How does it work?
1. We will undertake analyses to understand and align the legal, social, and economic situations in 5 Central European countries. 2. We will create databases and technical and financial workflow which will allow us to build and apply an online well assessment tool to meet heat and electricity demand in target locations (primarily rural communities). 3. From the analyses and online tool, we will create and deliver a Transnational Strategy and Action Plan to guide municipalities, industrial entities, and farms in identifying nearby wells which will serve their heat and electricity demands.
What will we achieve?
We plan to sign three Letters of Intent with partners to build 3 geothermal power plants after the project, using our online tool and other project outputs.
Impact
We convert the burden of old oil and gas wells into a benefit by reusing them to provide geothermal energy solutions!
News
Events
Pilot actions
Outputs
O 1.1 Validated and optimised well reuse procedures
O 1.2 Validated and optimised well assessment tool
O 2.1 Site-specific feasibility studies of well assessment and repurposing
O 2.2 Transnational well repurpose potential assessment
O 3.1 Transnational strategy for the transition of fossil fuel producing regions to sustainable growth trough the use of geothermal energy
O 3.2 Transnational action plan for the transition of fossil fuel producing regions to sustainable growth through the use of geothermal energy
O 3.3 Cooperating institutions supporting the transition of fossil fuel producing regions to sustainable growth through the use of geothermal energy in Central Europe
Project videos
Project documents
Materials from events - presentations, posters
Publications
Project images
TRANSGEO
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