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 turned this environmental problem into an opportunity: it investigated the potentials of such abandoned infrastructures for producing and storing green geothermal energy. The partnership developed 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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7
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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
Over its 3-year lifetime, the TRANSGEO Project has focused on repurposing abandoned or idle oil and gas wells for geothermal energy production across Central Europe. By recycling these valuable physical assets and giving new employment opportunities to highly skilled hydrocarbon workers, our project uses available resources to find sustainable and economic solutions to one of society’s most pressing problems, the need for energy. Our main objective has been to provide knowledge and information for accelerating the energy transition, by transforming existing fossil fuel infrastructure into renewable heat sources. To achieve this, TRANSGEO has developed Engineering Workflows which give step-by-step information on how to transform old wells into new geothermal heat or electricity sources, carried out socio-economic analyses which put a price on the work required to redevelop a well, and created a database of 9.000+ wells that feeds a publicly-available online Well Assessment Tool which evaluates well availability and suitability for reuse across the 5 partner countries (Austria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, and Slovenia). In addition, we identified the suitable wells and conducted feasibility studies for 8 selected pilot sites and regions as examples of potential redevelopment projects. Finally, we produced an extensive Transnational Strategy and Action Plan with a hierarchy of actions which are needed to accelerate well reuse and identified the policy makers and other stakeholders who are required to make the changes happen. Altogether, these outputs form a scalable and replicable framework which can be used in Central Europe and beyond to identify, assess, and implement geothermal reuse solutions for the future.
Project partnership
Project partners
Lead partner
Helmholtz-Centre Potsdam German Research Centre for Geosciences
Department Geosystems, Section Geoenergy
Project partner
Geological Survey
Total partner budget
304,401 €
Department of Hydrogeology & Geothermal Energy
Total partner budget
304,996 €
Total partner budget
109,194 €
Total partner budget
276,458 €
N/A
Total partner budget
240,786 €
Total partner budget
49,980 €
Međimurska energetska agencija, društvo s ograničenom odgovornošću za promicanje i unapređenje poslova vezanih uz obnovljive izvore energije i energetsku učinkovitost u Međimurskoj županiji
Total partner budget
227,027 €
Department of Petroleum and Gas Engineering and Energy
Total partner budget
203,464 €
Total partner budget
254,797 €
Total partner budget
49,497 €
Roadmap
1
Our challenge
Copyright © Jasmina Perkič 2024
Central Europe has thousands of abandoned or soon-to-be-abandoned oil and gas wells left behind by the declining fossil fuel industry. At the same time, Europe faces an urgent need to accelerate the energy transition while reducing investment costs and supporting regions dependent on fossil fuels.
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Specific problem
Copyrighty © Jasmina Perkič 2023
Existing hydrocarbon wells represented stranded infrastructure with no productive future. Developing new geothermal projects is expensive and risky because drilling deep wells accounts for the largest share of investment costs, while the geothermal potential is uncertain before drilling. In addition, economic uncertainties, regulatory barriers, and the lack of practical methodologies limited the reuse of abandoned wells.
3
Innovative idea
Copyright © Jasmina Perkič 2023
Instead of abandoning existing wells, TRANSGEO proposed repurposing them for geothermal heat and electricity production and heat storage. The project combined engineering, economic, regulatory, and spatial planning aspects into one integrated framework and developed the first comprehensive methodology covering multiple geothermal reuse technologies rather than focusing on a single application.
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Solution
Copyright © GFZ
The project developed a complete decision-support framework consisting of: • standardized Engineering Workflows for well conversion; • socio-economic analyses and business cases; • a database of more than 9,000 wells; • a public online Well Assessment Tool; • feasibility studies for eight pilot sites; and • a Transnational Strategy and Action Plan to support implementation and policy development.
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How does it work?
Existing oil and gas wells are evaluated using geological, technical, economic, and heat-demand data. The Well Assessment Tool determines whether a well is suitable for geothermal reuse, while the Engineering Workflows provide step-by-step guidance for converting wells into geothermal heat or electricity systems. Feasibility studies validate the technical and economic viability before implementation, and the Strategy and Action Plan guide policymakers and stakeholders in accelerating deployment.
6
What will we achieve?
Copyright © Jasmina Perkič 2024
The project produced a transnational assessment of well reuse potential, developed Engineering Workflows and validated methodologies, created a database containing over 9,000 wells and an online Well Assessment Tool, completed feasibility studies for eight pilot sites, prepared a Transnational Strategy and Action Plan, engaged hundreds of stakeholders, secured more than 25 Letters of Intent for future projects, and initiated a privately funded geothermal demonstration project at Groß Schönebeck in Germany.
7
Impact
Copyright © Jasmina Perkič 2023
TRANSGEO demonstrated that reusing existing wells can reduce geothermal investment costs by more than 50% while lowering exploration risk. The project supports the decarbonisation of fossil-fuel regions, creates new employment opportunities by transferring hydrocarbon expertise to the geothermal sector, strengthens regional cooperation, provides practical tools for municipalities and investors, and delivers a scalable and transferable model that can be applied across Europe and beyond. Long-term impact is ensured through continued maintenance of the Well Assessment Tool and database and ongoing implementation of new reuse projects.
News
Events
Pilot actions
Outputs
Copyright © Matej Prkič 2022
Validated and optimized well reuse procedures
Well reuse procedures are structured methods and guidelines for assessing, preparing, and converting abandoned or inactive oil and gas wells into geothermal energy facilities. They describe the technical steps, evaluation criteria, and workflows needed to determine whether a well can be safely and economically reused for geothermal heat production, including well assessment, modification, monitoring, and integration with surface infrastructure.
In the context of TRANSGEO, well reuse procedures included validated and optimized workflows for five different well repurposing technologies, covering the transformation of existing hydrocarbon wells into geothermal systems. They also considered economic, social, and market aspects, such as the suitability of different heat consumers (agriculture, municipalities, and industry) and the conditions needed for successful investments.
Type of output: Solutions
- Socio-Economic Analysis of Repurposing Abandoned Wells for Industry
- Socio-Economic Analysis of Repurposing Abandoned Wells for Agricultural Use
- Socio-Economic Analysis of Repurposing Abandoned Wells for Municipalities
- Engineering Workflows and Numerical Modelling for 5 Geothermal Reuse Technologies
- Criteria Catalogue for well repurposing
- Proof of Concept DBHE
- Proof of Concept BTES
- Proof of Concept HE
- Proof of Concept ATES
- Proof of Concept EGS
- Factsheets: Socio Economic Analysis Industry
- Factsheets: Socio Economic Analysis Agriculture
- Factsheets: Socio Economic Analysis Municipalities
Photo by geralt from Pixabay
Well assessment tool
The TRANSGEO Well Assessment Tool is a web-based application that helps users evaluate the geothermal potential of abandoned wells and identify suitable reuse technologies. It supports decision-making for municipalities, industry, and agriculture by considering options for heat production, electricity generation, and heat storage. The tool provides initial guidance, but detailed assessment and professional well inspection are always required before reuse.
The IT tool is available online for different target groups (municipalities, regional development agencies, geothermal developers, oil and gas companies, investors, geological surveys, researchers, and policymakers.) interested in hydrocarbon well repurposing.
Type of output: Solutions
Photo by kaboompics from Pixabay
Transnational strategy for the transition of fossil fuel producing regions to sustainable growth through the use of geothermal energy
The Strategy provides recommendations, priorities, and concrete actions needed to accelerate geothermal well reuse. It identifies policy, regulatory, financial, and organisational measures, as well as the key stakeholders responsible for implementing them. It helps create favourable conditions for investment, supports coordinated decision-making, and facilitates wider deployment of geothermal projects across Central Europe and beyond.
Type of output: Strategies and action plans
Photo by gerald from Pixabay
Transnational action plan for the transition of fossil fuel producing regions to sustainable growth through the use of geothermal energy
The Transnational Action Plan is a guidance document developed within the TRANSGEO project that provides recommendations, measures, and practical steps for the reuse of abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal energy production. It identifies barriers and proposes solutions related to legislation, knowledge, technology, environmental protection, and financing to support geothermal investments.
It is intended for public and private stakeholders, including:
1. regional and local authorities – for planning energy transition strategies and supporting geothermal development,
2. energy agencies and policymakers – for improving frameworks and policies,
3. industries and investors – for identifying opportunities to repurpose wells and infrastructure,
4. municipalities and communities – for exploring local renewable heat solutions.
Type of output: Strategies and action plans
Project videos
Project documents
Brochures and Outreach Material
Presentations and Posters
Publications
NEWSLETTER
Project images
TRANSGEO
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Project on social media
Project contact
Hannes Hofmann
Email: hannes.hofmann@gfz.de