Geothermal Energy in Romania: Country Update 2010-2014

Abstract

The main Romanian geothermal resources are found in porous and permeable sandstones and siltstones (for example, in the Western Plain and the Olt Valley), or in fractured carbonate formations (Oradea, Bors, North Bucharest). The total capacity of the existing wells is about 480 MWt (for a reference temperature of 25°C). Of this total, only about 180 MWt are currently used, from about 80 wells (of which 35 wells are used only for balneology and bathing) that are producing hot water in the temperature range of 40÷115°C. For 2012, the annual energy utilisation from these wells was about 360 GWh. More than 80% of the wells are artesian producers, 18 wells require anti-scaling chemical treatment, and 6 are used for reinjection. The main direct uses of the geothermal energy are: space and district heating; bathing; greenhouse heating; industrial process heat; fish farming and animal husbandry. The first geothermal power generation unit in Romania was installed in 2012 in Oradea and started production in spring 2013. During 2010-2014, six geothermal wells have been drilled in Romania with National financing. Some of these wells, drilled to depths ranging from 1,700 m to 2,500 m, have been successful, 3 of them producing geothermal water with about 70°C wellhead temperature, and one of them, near Oradea, about 1,700 m deep, with a wellhead temperature of about 90°C and an artesian flow rate of about 10 l/s right after completion, without acidizing. The first shallow geothermal applications were implemented in Romania in the late 1990s. At the beginning, they were based on open system technology and used reversible ground-source heat pumps. Today, the most complex and largest application in progress and state of the art for Europe is ELI-NP Extreme Light Infrastructure that is to be built in Bucharest-Magurele. ELI-NP is the first pan-European research facility built in Eastern Europe which oriented on high-level research on ultra-high intensity laser. The heating and cooling system is in the range of 5,4 MW, obtained by a borehole heat exchanger with 1080 boreholes at 120 m depth under a field of around 27000 m². The total investment cost of about 356 million € is paid mainly from Romania’s allocation of EU structural funds.