State, Possible Future Developments and Barriers of the Exploration and Exploitation of Geothermal Energy in Austria - Country Update

Abstract

In the 1977-2004 period a total of 63 geothermal exploration wells with a total length of some 100 km have been drilled for geothermal energy in Austria. A large number of wells were intended for tapping thermal waters for balneological use (curing, thermal spas, leisure resorts, hotels etc.). Drilling activities focused on the Styrian Basin and the Upper Austrian Molasse Basin where a high number of geothermal installations and wells for balneological use exists. Since the mid-1990s thermal exploration has also taken place in the hard rock formations of the Alps. These projects have a much higher geological risk than projects in the sediment basins that have been explored by the hydrocarbon industry for centuries. All wells in the Alps were drilled for balneological purposes.
Installed thermal capacity (deep geothermal) in Austria equals 61 MW. 7 geothermal doublets are operating in Austria at present, 6 of them are in the Upper Austrian Molasse Basin. Electric power generation is performed at two sites with a total installed capacity of 1.2 MWe. The reinjection of thermal fluids after use had a positive effect on the aquifer pressure at a regional scale.
Some legal and economic barriers hamper a broader use of geothermal energy in Austria. Economic problems can be overcome by combining different users at one site as it was demonstrated by the Geinberg cascade. Cascade use including generation of electrical power will be very important for the future development of the geothermal business in boosting the economic viability of the projects.