Ukraine has several geothermal sites and resources, especially in the Transcarpathia region and in the southern part of the country. However, the development of geothermal resources has not been extensively implemented due to various factors such as limited investment, technical challenges, legislation gaps and tariff policies with a dominance of traditional energy sources. There were some initiatives and studies exploring the feasibility of geothermal power generation and direct use applications, but widespread commercial implementation has so far been limited.
The most promising areas in Ukraine for future geothermal development are:
• Transcarpathian Basin
• Precarpathian Basin
• Dnipro-Donets Basin and Donets fold belt
• Black Sea Basin
• Scythian Plate
The highest subsurface temperatures in Ukraine were recorded in the Transcarpathian Basin, which is characterised by an average temperature gradient of around 5,5°C/100 m. Typical aquifers in this area are Neogene andesites, tuffs, tufftes, sandstones and argillites, occurring at depths of around 500-1,000 m. Precarpathia and the adjacent territory in the Lviv region are recognised as another priority area for research and potential development of geothermal resources with average geothermal gradient of about 3°C/100 m.
Geothermal Ukraine
Geothermal Ukraine (GU) plays a significant role in promoting and raising the profile of geothermal energy production across Ukraine. Amongst many activities, the organisation facilitates R&D and implementation of technological innovations aimed at increasing the efficiency and environmental sustainability of geothermal energy production in Ukraine. The organisation is collaborating with Icelandic companies Verkis and ISOR in the framework of the joint project “Geothermal Direct Use in Ukraine”, which aims to identify and assess prospective geothermal direct-use applications in
the western regions of Ukraine. To exchange ideas with countries where geothermal energy production is more advanced, GU participates in international conferences and workshops. Despite the war in Ukraine and the challenging times, the GU team continues to work and promote geothermal energy.
From 1978 to 2002, nine geothermal energy facilities were built in Ukraine, including on the Autonomic Republic of the Crimea (five), in Transcarpatia (three) and in the Kherson region (one). The total heat capacity of these facilities was 11.2 MWth. As of 2020, only three of these were working with 1.5 MW of heat capacity and no installed capacities for electricity generation.
Ukraine has a long history of oil and gas production, dating back to the late 19th century, with thousands of oil and gas wells being drilled mainly across the Dnipro-Donets Basin, the Carpathian region, and the Black Sea coastal areas.
Information obtained from oil and gas wells was invaluable for assessing the geothermal potential in the most prospective regions: Temperature and pressure data that is crucial in understanding the geothermal gradient and heat flow, porosity and permeability for evaluating the feasibility of extracting heat from geothermal reservoirs, and gravity, seismic and magnetic surveys for understanding subsurface geological structures. Analysis of fluids extracted from oil and gas wells provided useful information about the composition and temperature of subsurface fluids.
