Austria

Sustainable Energy Supply in Austria
 

• Center for worldwide research and development

In 2023, OMV Austria Exploration & Production GmbH produced more than 16,300 boe per day in Austria over an area of more than 3,800 km², making a significant contribution to the domestic energy supply.
The production originates from around 1000 wells, all of which are operated by OMV itself.

OMV has been active in the Weinviertel region since the late 1950s, maintaining a positive relationship with its residents, communities, and farmers. Currently OMV employs about 450 people, making it one of the largest employers in the region. Since May 2021, the Value Center Operations has also been located in Gänserndorf, from where around 90 employees manage operations in more than 10 countries worldwide. Since the beginning of January 2023, the Value Center Energy Technology has been anchored in Gänserndorf, where the Innovation & Technology Center and laboratory are also located. With a further around 300 contract employees, jobs in the region are secured at the Gänserndorf site.

“OMV Austria is an important partner in the region. We continuously reduce CO2 emissions by using eco-friendly technologies and lowering our methane emissions”, says Wilhelm Sackmaier, Managing Director OMV Austria.
 

Sustainability using State-of-the-Art Technology 

With among the highest recovery rates, OMV is one of the most efficient operators of mature fields in the world, producing 30 to 60% of the available oil and up to 90% of the existing gas, depending on the reservoir. This is achieved using the latest technologies in the fields of salt water management and directional drilling as well as enhancing the feed pump service life.

The saltwater treatment process – using parallel plate separators, pressure relief flotation, and nutshell filters at our water treatment plant in Schönkirchen – achieves the best possible degree of purification far below 15 ppm, which is an innovation for the environment. Through directional and horizontal drilling technology, several separate reservoirs are intersected at the same time with one single well. Accessing reservoirs horizontally can greatly increase production. The operation time of OMV’s production pumps reaches peak values of more than 5 1⁄2 years without downtime.

With one of Austria's largest ground-mounted photovoltaic plant, OMV will generate 14.25 GWh of CO2-neutral electricity in the final stage and distribute it via OMV's own mining power grid for our own production facilities. The goal is to produce the power used for our own consumption in a climate-friendly way through solar energy.

The production test in the well AD 96 between Aderklaa and Deutsch Wagram is an important project that allows us to analyze the geothermal potential in the Vienna Basin. The goal was to determine key reservoir parameters and obtain a sample of the formation water to find out whether or not this formation is suitable for green geothermal energy generation 

Austria as Technology Center for OMV Group

Austria is the global energy center for the entire company and, therefore, the base of its worldwide success. The test site (open air lab) is on the doorstep in Gänserndorf, specifically focused on the further development of technological innovations. Many scientific theories are developed and studies conducted here, such as new concepts for reservoir models or provisions to maintain pressure.

In developing the Vienna Basin, OMV was able to acquire technological expertise on producing above average volumes from mature fields. Furthermore, OMV was able to gain important insight into ecologically sustainable exploration and production in Austria.

Technologies that OMV successfully implements in Austria are used in several projects within the OMV Group, perfected around the world, and attract great interest from international partners in the oil and gas industry.

Innovation & Technology Center

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High Gas Storage Capacities for Supply Security

In addition to exploration and production, OMV operates two underground gas stores in six former gas reservoirs that are located at depths of up to 1,200 m. Providing a capacity of around 2.2 bcm (which equates to approximately one quarter of Austria’s annual gas consumption), 137 storage probes are constantly in use to store or withdraw natural gas.

Milestones
 

• 1934 Gösting 2 – the first commercial oil discovery
• 1949 Development of the largest onshore oil field in Central Europe through the “Matzen Discovery Well”, whose oil and gas resources are estimated at 2 bn boe
• 1956 Founding of ÖMV
• 1959 Discovery of sour gas in “Aderklaa Tief” from 2,640m
• 1965 Drilling of first deep well in the Kalkalpen region
• 1968 First natural gas import agreement signed between Austria and the USSR
• 1970 Development of sour gas field “Schönkirchen Übertief”
• 1974 Development of the first europe-wide underground gas storage area
• 1982-1984 Discovery of deepest oil deposits to date in the Vienna Basin at over 6,500 m through the Maustrenk well.
• 1993-2007 Remeasurement of around 1,300 km² using 3D seismic technology. Measurement campaigns: e.g. 3D Höflein Süd, Matzen, Hohenau and Marchfeld. These measurements and reinterpretations of the subsurface are the basis for several successful well projects in exploration and field development (Exploration: discovery of Erdpress, Ebenthal, Strasshof, Mühlberg Süd fields. Field development: Matzen, Hochleiten, Pirawarth).
• 1996 Resumption of activities in Matzen field. Exploration is intensified at deeper horizons to over 4,000 m deep. 
• 2003 Largest oil discovery in Austria in 25 years in the Vienna Basin. With the exploration well (Erdpress 1) in Lower Austria’s Weinviertel region, OMV discovers an estimated 4.5 mn boe of oil and gas resources. This equals around one third of Austrian annual production for the company.
• 2005 New discovery of significant gas deposits in Vienna Basin (Ebenthal T1 well). The potential reserves of around 1.5 bcm equal about one fifth of the annual Austrian gas consumption.
• 2008 Production of 100 mn tons of OMV oil in Austria. Gas production from the Ebenthal field in Vienna Basin starts.
• 2010 Highest production level for OMV Austria since 1980 with 15.4 mn boe annually (around 42,100 boe/day) and this after over 60 years of production
• 2011 Opening of new tank farm in Auersthal and the new production site Matzen. Methane and CO₂ emissions have been drastically reduced thanks to the closed design and energy optimization
• 2015 Commissioning of new, state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly water treatment plant Schönkirchen. Methane and CO₂ emissions have also been drastically reduced.
• 2018 Start of the largest onshore seismic campaign of OMV in Austria: 3D Seismic Schönkirchen. Beginning of the construction of the Innovation & Technology Center.
• 2020 Opening of Innovation & Technology Center – a sign of OMV's innovative strength and competence in technology development.
• 2022 Commissioning one of Austria's largest free-field photovoltaic plant for the production facilities' own power supply
• 2023 Wittau Tief 2a - largest gas discovery in 40 years

Note: 1 mn barrel oil equivalent (boe) is equal to 140,000 t oil equivalent; 1 barrel (bbl) is equal to 159 l