Oil and gas deposits in the Czech Republic
Oil and gas deposits in the
Deposits
From [1]:
- Oil deposits of the Czech Republic are confined to the Vienna - Moravia oil and gas-bearing province. The deposits are distributed over a great number of individual oil-bearing structures and producing horizons situated at the depth going down to 2,800 m. The most productive oil-bearing rocks are represented by sandstones of the Middle and/or the Upper Badenian. The largest deposit of this area is the Hrušky field. Most of its recoverable oil has already been extracted, and it is now used for natural gas storage.
- Another region in which oil is anticipated to occur lies in the Moravian part of the region) are the only oil deposits in this area.
- Three grades of oil were extracted in 1999 with specific gravity from 856 to 930 kg/m3 at 20°C, 20-33° API and with sulphurcontent of 0.08-0.32% by weight.
From [2]:
- Natural gas deposits are in reservoirs that contain oil. The deposits are mostly located in the south Moravian part of the Vienna Basin. The northern part of the Basin has mostly oil deposits. Natural gas from these deposits is from 87.2% to 98.8% methane (CH4). Its caloric value is 35.6-37.7 MJ/m3 (dry natural gas at 0°C); its specific gravity is 0.72-0.85 kg/m3 (at 0°C); it contains less tan l mg/m3 of H2S. The Carpathian foredeep is considered as a promising area for the occurrence of natural gas. The composition of local gas deposits varies considerably. The Dolní Dunajovice deposit produces 98% methane. The West Kostelany deposit is only 70% methane, and is high in helium and argon, which can be extracted in industrial quantities.
- In Carboniferous paleorelief. The origin of these gas deposits, now being developed close to the top of the Carboniferous morphological elevations, has not been deciphered yet. Suggestions that the gas originated during coalification of the local coal seams has little support. The gas is thought to have been formed in the neoid movements which led to the origin of natural hydrocarbons. This applies particularly to the gas deposits of Český Těšín, Bruzovice, and Příbor. Part of the Příbor gas deposit is used for underground gas storage.
- Natural gas of obviously Carboniferous origin and age is extracted during so-called degasification of coal seams in the Czech part of the Upper Silesian coal basin. Its quality varies considerably depending on the method of extraction and technical limitations related to degasification.
History
The first experimental oil well in the area was opened on 27 March 1900, near the Moravian village Bohuslavice (today part of
On 1 January 1946, all existing oil companies in Bohemia and Moravia were merged into a single organization, Československé naftové závody (ČNZ). ČNZ had 1,858 employees in 1948. In 1958, ČNZ merged with a similar organisation from Slovakia and was renamed Moravské naftové doly (MND). In 1990 the Slovakian part became independent.
Currently, MND operates the wells, underground gas storage facilities, and crude oil processing plants. In 2005 the company had 618 employees.
Extraction statistics
From 2005 annual report:
| Year | Oil (m3) | Natural gas (ths m3) |
| 1992 | 96,496 | 102,030 |
| 1995 | 173,383 | 119,222 |
| 2000 | 204,319 | 106,899 |
| 2005 | 340,632 | 98,750 |
Local production covers only very small fraction of demand in the Czech Republic. In 1999, 176,000 tonnes of crude oil was extracted locally and 5,997,000 tonnes was imported.
See also
Literature
- Jarmila Bednaříková, Arnošt Thon: Naftový průmysl na území Československa (Oil industry in Czechoslovakia), 1984, Moravské naftové doly.