Summary

How can abandoned wells and infrastructure from declining oil and gas production be used for geothermal applications? That's what the TRANSGEO project, co-funded by the EU, is investigating.

On 4 May 2023, the EU co-funded project TRANSGEO, involving 11 partners from 5 countries, started with its kick-off meeting in Potsdam. The project, coordinated by Hannes Hofmann, head of the Helmholtz Young Investigators Group "Advanced Reservoir Engineering Concepts (ARES)" at the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam and junior professor for reservoir engineering at the TU Berlin, pursues the overarching goal of supporting the structural change from a fossil hydrocarbon industry to a sustainable green energy supply.

Background: Decommissioning of facilities from oil and gas production

For a long time, large amounts of oil and gas were produced in Central Europe from thousands of deep wells that have been abandonned after decades of use or will be abandonned in the near future. The declining hydrocarbon industry thus leaves behind an extensive infrastructure and thousands of highly skilled workers, especially in rural areas facing enormous economic and social challenges.

Potential for geothermal energy

These abandoned wells offer great potential for geothermal energy generation and heat storage and opportunities for regional value creation in communities and local industries. In particular, the cost savings compared to new boreholes, which otherwise require high initial investments, and the greatly reduced discovery risk - not every borehole leads to an economically viable heat source - make reuse of existing boreholes interesting.

However, this potential has so far remained largely untapped due to technical, economic and permitting uncertainties.

Objectives of the TRANSGEO project

This is where the TRANSGEO project comes in and develops concepts and technologies to show ways for an effective repurposing.

The specific objectives of the project are:

• Develop a techno-economic validation system for multiple well repurposing methodologies, including a repurpose assessment tool, to provide feasible solutions for the regional energy transition.
• Assess the potential, the demand, and feasibility of all proposed repurposing technologies in former hydrocarbon exploitation regions in Central Europe
• Propose a policy, legal and support framework and specific actions that enables and advances the transition from fossil fuel producing regions to sustainable growth through geothermal energy use

Role of the GFZ in the TRANSGEO project

At GFZ, the Helmholtz Young Investigators Group ARES - Advanced Reservoir Engineering Concepts is leading the TRANSGEO project.

Its focus here is on conducting numerical modelling studies to validate the reuse of abandoned wells. The studies are to show which utilization concept is particularly suitable economically and technically under the respective site conditions: e.g. the storage of heat or cold in deep water-bearing strata or the direct extraction of geothermal energy from the subsurface for heat or power supply.

Funding

Co-funded by the European Commission, Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE Programme, Project-ID: CE0100071 - TRANSGEO

Further information

• GFZ project website TRANSGEO
• External project website TRANSGEO