FAQ

This is accomplished by assessing areas from the perspective of their hydrogeothermal structures. Sites with high heat flux density and suitable substrata consisting of fractured permeable rocks are sought. The presence of water with temperatures exceeding 130°C in the area is indicated by expert measurements and seismic surveys, which clarify the nature of the deposit. The assumptions are subsequently verified by drilling an exploration well.

The determination of PW Energy's exploration areas involves the leading geothermal energy expert James Koenig. In the districts of Žiar nad Hronom and Prešov, we found locations that confirmed the required temperature (including a geothermal gradient – the rise in water temperature per unit of depth – exceeding 40 degrees Celsius per kilometer) and simultaneously indicated the presence of water. A prerequisite for the suitability of the given locations is also the possibility for effective multi-purpose use of geothermal energy, which is possible in both cases.

We can reach depths of more than three kilometers thanks to specialized technology. Well Drilling is a complex and precise process that takes several weeks under the supervision of experts. After transferring its energy, the exploited water is cooled and pumped back into the ground through a reinjection well. 

It is measured in decades with regular technological renewal and proper use. The long service life of the resource is ensured by reinjecting cooled water back into the reservoir – the underground deposit.

The processes related to conventional geothermal energy exploitation are safe, and do not cause tremors. Only in locations with utilization of so called EGS systems, where hard rocks are hydraulically fractured to inject and heat water, do mild tremors sporadically occur. In most cases, however, they are not perceptible and are only detected by instruments.

Neither a geothermal power plant nor a heating plant uses traditional energy sources, making it a minimal producer of emissions. Compared to facilities using fossil fuels, this is 99 percent less carbon dioxide (just 0.63 kg per kilowatt-hour of energy) and 97 percent fewer sulfur compounds contributing to acid rain. With proper reinjection (water in a closed cycle), like it is planned in the PW Energy projects, emissions are reduced to zero. This is also why geothermal energy is considered an eco-friendly source that is gentle on the environment.

It is counted among renewable sources because its quantity in the Earth's interior is practically inexhaustible, renewed naturally or by reinjection of exploited waters. It is common practice that in the extraction areas, the cooled water after use is returned to the system and recirculates. If we were able to extract all geothermal energy at a depth of 10 kilometers, its energy potential would be 50,000 times greater than the global reserves of oil and natural gas.

A small area of roughly one hectare is sufficient to implement a fully operational geothermal power plant or heating plant. Operation does burden the surroundings in any significant way – by noise nor emissions. Minerals and gases contained in the geothermal water do not leak into the environment but are either reinjected in a closed loop or processed for industrial application.

A fully functional geothermal power plant or heating plant requires just a small, roughly one-hectare area. Operations do not burden the surroundings in any way – neither with noise nor harmful emissions. Minerals and gases contained in the groundwater do not leak into the surroundings either; in the closed system of the power plant or heating plant, they are returned to the reservoir or separately further processed for industrial use.

The primary benefit is green energy for households and industry in the area, i.e., near-zero-emission production of heat and electricity that enables the elimination of environmental burdens from the past. Clean and renewable sources are also a trend to which countries are committed by European Union standards and carbon neutrality targets. A significant benefit is also the overall impact on regional development.