Low Enthalpy Geothermal Power Generation in Romania

Abstract

Exploration for geothermal resources began in Romania in the early 1960’s. Over 250 wells, drilled to depths between 800 and 3,500 m, showed the presence of low enthalpy geothermal resources (40-120°C).
The main direct uses of the geothermal energy are: district heating and bathing (health and recreational); greenhouse heating; industrial process heat; and fish farming decreased in the 1990’s, but currently increasing slowly again.
20 years ago, the University of Oradea had a research program for power generation from low enthalpy geothermal water, with a couple of demonstration units working for short tests. Since then, no other geothermal power development took place, resulting in zero geothermal power generation to be present in Romania today.
However, the authors expect this to change, as new legislation was issued recently, which is much more favorable for power generation from all renewable energy sources, and mainly from geothermal energy.
In 2005, the European Commission approved for financing under the 6th Framework Program the project “Efficient Low Temperature Geothermal Binary Power” (acronym LOW-BIN), co-ordinated by the Centre for Renewable Energy Sources (CRES), Athens, Greece, with the University of Oradea as a partner in the project consortium. The main objective of the LOW-BIN project was to build two demonstration pilot units for power generation from low enthalpy geothermal sources, one to be located in Simbach, Germany, and one in Oradea, Romania. For a number of reasons, only the Simbach unit was constructed.