Half of the heating requirement of the Graz district must be covered with geothermal energy. The mega project starts this year with seismic investigations in East Styria, the first gap follows according to plan 2026. There are still a few obstacles.
If from December exceptionally looking trucks in East Styria and in the east of Graz around surroundings around, the surprise must be great for many. These are special seismic trucks that are approximately 900 kilometers on public roads in no fewer than 60 communities. Your goal: to find out where the geothermal potential is particularly great.
The Austrian mineral oil giant OMV is behind the exploration. Together with Energie Styria and Energie Graz, a huge project must be implemented by nearly 500 million euros to provide district from the city of Graz. Ideally, half of the urban district heating requirement – more than 90,000 households on the network – will be created with the warm water of the earth, according to the ambitious plan.
First Boring exploration planned for 2026
The seismic measurements, which go from December to March 2026, are the first step. Due to vibrations, which according to OMV have no negative effects on the environment, the geological surface is investigated at a depth of 700 to 3500 meters. The data obtained must reveal potential geothermal deposits. An exploration bore is then planned for the second half of 2026.
If this is successful, the implementation is based. However, there are still a few obstacles: in addition to the usual approval procedures, the antitrust authority must also agree. In the best case, the state capital will be supplied with geothermal energy from 2030. “With projects such as these in Styria, we paves the way for sustainable, safe and regional energy supply,” says Berilsav Gaso, at the OMV board member for energy.
Gass price increased a lot
On request, the Energie Styria sees the project central to make Graz’s district heating more ecological. At the moment it is still highly dependent on gas and its price fluctuations at international fairs. The rates have therefore risen sharply in recent years and have only fallen slightly. A constant geothermal diet can lead to long -term and better calculation.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
