Seismic trucks will soon roll through Graz: geothermal energy project starts!

Seismic trucks will soon roll through Graz: geothermal energy project starts!

OMV has big plans for the greater Graz area, which should take concrete shape in the coming year. From December 2025, seismic measurements will be carried out there, which should provide important insights into the geothermal potential of the region. Residents and community representatives will be intensively informed about the upcoming measurements, as these are crucial for the future heat supply for the population of Graz.

As part of the project, OMV, which has decades of experience in exploration and production in the Vienna Basin, will penetrate deep into the geological subsurface. Detailed investigations are planned at depths of 700 to 3,500 meters in the East Styrian basin in order to identify possible geothermal deposits with hot water reserves. The goal? Long-term heat generation for Graz in cooperation with Energie Steiermark and Energie Graz. However, the whole thing is subject to approval by the responsible antitrust authority. The seismic measurements will be carried out from December 2025 to March 2026 and cover a total distance of around 900 kilometers.

Seismic trucks on the streets

Special seismic trucks that are 10.5 meters long and weigh up to 30 tons are used for the measurements. These vehicles send sound waves into the Earth's interior and record the reflections from the rock layers using geophones. The vibrations that are generated are comparable to natural earthquakes and are considered environmentally friendly. The technology used here is one of the important methods of applied geophysics and is a proven method for exploring sedimentary basins.

As the geothermie.de explained, seismics is one of the methods that enable a detailed analysis of the earth's crust. In exploration seismics, data is processed in three basic steps: from acquisition to data processing to geological interpretation.

A sustainable energy future

With the planned drilling, which will go thousands of meters deep, OMV wants to use the waste heat from water to feed the Graz district heating network. The first exploratory drilling is scheduled for the second half of 2026. The entire process aims to generate climate-neutral energy and sustainably improve the energy supply in the region. OMV describes this as an important step towards the use of renewable energy sources in Austria.

The residents in communities such as Eggersdorf and Kainbach near Graz are already attuned to the upcoming measurements. The company hopes to use the knowledge gained to contribute to increasing the energy transition in Styria. Preparations are in full swing and the entire project is accompanied by transparent communication with the population. OMV is ready for the next steps in geothermal energy development!

For more information and news on this topic, stay tuned to the reporting Small newspaper and the OMV press releases.