Programme area:
Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, Energy Security
Outcome:
Increased renewable energy production
Output:
Energy production from less established renewable sources installed
Project title:
Pilot Geothermal Power Plant on an Existing Gas Well Pg-8, pilot project
Project acronym:
SI-Geo-Electricity
Project Promoter:
Hydropower company Dravske elektrarne Maribor, Ltd
Project Partners:
Partner 1: Petrol Geo, production of hydrocarbons, Ltd
Partner 2: University of Maribor
Partner 3: Geological Survey of Slovenia
Start of the project:
01/05/2022
End of the project:
30/04/2024
Co-financing source:
EEA Grants and corresponding Slovenian contribution
Total eligible project expenditure (EUR):
900,210.98
Project grant (EUR):
732,573.70
Main project results:
An innovative pilot geothermal power plant with the capacity of 50 kW operating on the basis of a patented Slovenian technology of extraction of geothermal energy of unproductive oil and gas wells with the use of a geothermal gravity heat pipe.
Project summary:
With its climate strategy building on sustainable development principles Slovenia sets a clear goal of achieving net zero emissions or climate neutrality by 2050. Fossil energy sources will need to be increasingly replaced by electricity produced from renewable sources. Geothermal energy is reliable and available all year; it is an enormous but underused source of renewable energy. Slovenia has already identified its potential but still lacks production of this energy form. The aim of the project is to increase the production of renewable energy by exploiting the potential of geothermal energy available in Slovenia. The pilot project serves as a demonstration project showcasing good practice and promotes increased use of geothermal energy. It is based on the use of a completely new method of electricity generation with a geothermal gravity heat pipe (Slovenian patent). A special feature of the geothermal gravity heat pipe is the closed refrigerant circuit which requires only one dry well to operate. Thus, the power plant does not produce greenhouse gas emissions as opposed to conventional binary cycle geothermal power plants’ fluid circulation which requires the injection well and a reinjection well. The pilot project, which is planned to be implemented in municipality of Lendava, builds on exploitation of an existing unproductive Pg-8 well. The pilot geothermal power plant with zero carbon footprint contributes to the reduction of CO2 emissions. Furthermore, the project helps strengthen knowledge and acquire new experience and capacities in the field of geothermal energy exploitation, both in Slovenia and at the wider European level, and is an interesting demo concept for donor states as well. It provides the basis for existing and future partnerships that connect research findings with companies and organizations able to operationalize this knowledge to achieve the set goals of decarbonization.