However, this potential is largely underutilised due to economic uncertainties and non-technical barriers. The overall objective of TRANSGEO is to enable a structural change from a fossil-fuel producing hydrocarbon industry towards sustainable green energy provision from geothermal energy sources within Central Europe with focus on rural areas.

Our approach is to apply established geothermal technologies and workflows to the conditions of existing hydrocarbon infrastructure and match it with local energy demand and heating networks. The main outputs include a transnational well repurpose potential assessment, site-specific feasibility studies, validated well repurpose methodologies, a web-based tool for assessment of well repurpose potential and a transnational strategy and action plan.

We consider 5 technologies:

• Aquifer thermal storage (ATES)
• Borehole thermal storage (BTES)
• Borehole heat exchangers (BHE)
• Hydrothermal energy production (HE)
• Enhanced geothermal systems (EGS)

and 4 sedimentary basins:

• North German Basin
• South German Molasse Basin
• Vienna Basin
• Pannonian Basin

TRANSGEO is co-funded by the European Union through the Interreg Central-Europe programme. GFZ section 4.8 Geoenergy is the lead partner of the TRANSGEO project.

The Interreg Central-Europe funded TRANSGEO project aims to:

• Develop a techno-economic validation system for multiple well repurposing methodologies, including a repurpose assessment tool, to provide feasible solutions for the regional energy transition.
• Assess the potential, the demand and the feasibility of all proposed repurposing technologies in former hydrocarbon exploitation regions in Central Europe
• Propose a policy, legal and incentive framework and specific actions that enables and advances the transition from fossil fuel producing regions to sustainable growth through geothermal energy use