MEET · Project

Turn Waste Heat from Oil Wells into Cheap Electricity and Heating

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Imagine you're pumping oil out of the ground, and tons of hot water comes up with it — water you normally just throw away. MEET figured out how to capture that heat and turn it into electricity and heating using compact power units called ORCs. They tested this at real oil fields and geothermal sites across Europe, proving it works in completely different rock types — from granite to volcanic to sedimentary. It's like recycling the leftover heat that oil companies have been wasting for decades.

By the numbers

containerized ORC units built, tested, and shipped to demo sites

pilot sites equipped with ORC units for electricity production from oil wells

40 KWe

electricity output per ORC unit installed at pilot sites

6 months

minimum pilot operation period at each site

main rock types tested (granitic, volcanic, sedimentary, metamorphic)

consortium partners across 5 European countries

total project deliverables

The business problem

What needed solving

Oil and gas companies waste enormous amounts of hot water co-produced during extraction, while geothermal energy remains underused because Enhanced Geothermal Systems are considered risky and unproven outside a few well-known sites. There is no clear roadmap showing operators where EGS works, in what rock types, and whether small-scale electricity or heat production from these sources is economically viable.

The solution

What was built

The project built 3 containerized ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) units for converting low-temperature water into electricity, installed them at demonstration sites, and ran 2 pilot sites with 40 KWe capacity for at least 6 months each. They also installed a heat exchanger at a Vermilion oil site connecting co-produced hot water to a third-party heating consumer, and produced a European roadmap of promising sites for EGS replication.

Audience

Who needs this

Oil and gas producers with mature wells generating high volumes of co-produced hot waterDistrict heating utilities seeking affordable low-carbon heat sourcesGeothermal energy developers exploring new sites beyond established volcanic regionsIndustrial facilities near oil fields or geothermal zones needing on-site power generationEnergy consultancies advising on waste heat recovery and renewable integration

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Oil & Gas

enterprise

Target: Oil and gas producers with mature or declining wells producing high volumes of co-produced water

If you are an oil producer dealing with declining wells that generate more hot water than oil — this project developed and piloted 40 KWe ORC units at 2 pilot sites that convert that low-temperature co-produced water into electricity. Instead of treating that water as waste, you generate power on-site, cutting operational energy costs and extending the economic life of aging wells.

District Heating

mid-size

Target: Municipal utilities and district heating operators looking for low-carbon heat sources

If you are a district heating operator searching for affordable renewable heat — this project demonstrated heat exchangers connecting geothermal and oil well facilities directly to end-users. The Vermilion demonstration proved that co-produced water can be piped to third-party heating consumers, giving you a new, cheap heat source without drilling dedicated geothermal wells.

Geothermal Energy Development

any

Target: Geothermal developers and power plant operators exploring Enhanced Geothermal Systems

If you are a geothermal developer struggling with high exploration risk in untested geological settings — this project mapped promising EGS sites across Europe and demonstrated reservoir stimulation techniques across 4 main rock types: granitic, volcanic, sedimentary, and metamorphic. The roadmap of next promising sites reduces your exploration risk by showing where EGS replication is technically and economically feasible.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to install one of these ORC electricity units?

The project does not publish unit pricing for the 40 KWe ORC systems. However, 3 containerized ORC units were built, tested, and shipped to demo sites, suggesting a modular, transportable design that keeps deployment costs lower than permanent installations. Contact the consortium for pricing details.

Can this scale beyond small pilot sites to full commercial deployment?

The project specifically targeted small-scale production to prove viability before large-scale rollout. They operated 2 pilot sites for at least 6 months each with 40 KWe ORC units. The roadmap of promising European EGS sites was designed as a replication guide for scaling across the continent.

Who owns the IP and can I license this technology?

The consortium of 18 partners across 5 countries developed the technology. ES-GEOTHERMIE (France) coordinated the project with 9 industrial partners involved. IP arrangements would need to be discussed directly with the consortium, as Horizon 2020 Innovation Actions typically allow partners to commercialize results.

Does this work in my specific geological setting?

MEET explicitly tested across 4 main rock types: granitic (igneous intrusive), volcanic, sedimentary, and metamorphic with various degrees of tectonic overprint. This is one of the widest geological coverage studies for EGS, making it likely applicable to most European underground conditions.

How long were these systems actually tested in real conditions?

The 2 pilot sites with 40 KWe ORC units were required to operate for at least 6 months. The overall project ran from May 2018 to October 2022, giving over 4 years of total development and testing time across multiple demonstration sites.

What regulations or permits would I need?

Based on available project data, the project included assessment of environmental feasibility as an integral part of the work. Specific permitting requirements would vary by country and site, but the project's multi-country deployment across 5 countries (BE, DE, FR, HR, IS) means regulatory experience exists for those jurisdictions.

Can I get technical support if I adopt this technology?

The consortium includes 9 industrial partners and 5 SMEs alongside 5 universities and 4 research institutes. This mix of commercial and academic expertise means both technical support and ongoing R&D capacity are available through the partnership.

Consortium

Who built it

The MEET consortium is well-balanced for moving technology to market, with 18 partners across 5 countries (Belgium, Germany, France, Croatia, Iceland). Half the consortium — 9 partners — comes from industry, and 5 of those are SMEs, which signals genuine commercial interest rather than a purely academic exercise. The coordinator, ES-GEOTHERMIE from France, is a private company specializing in geothermal energy. The presence of both major geothermal players and nimble SMEs, backed by 5 universities and 4 research institutes, means the science is solid and the path to commercialization has real industry backing. The geographic spread covers key European geothermal markets including Iceland (volcanic) and Germany (deep sedimentary basins).

ES-GEOTHERMIECoordinator · FR
NYSKOPUNARMIDSTOD ISLANDSparticipant · IS
AYMINGparticipant · FR
Taeknisetur ehf.participant · IS
GEORG-AUGUST-UNIVERSITAT GOTTINGEN STIFTUNG OFFENTLICHEN RECHTSparticipant · DE
INSTITUT ROYAL DES SCIENCES NATURELLES DE BELGIQUEparticipant · BE
SVEUCILISTE U ZAGREBU FAKULTET ELEKTROTEHNIKE I RACUNARSTVAparticipant · HR
VERMILION REP SASparticipant · FR
VULCAN ENERGY SUBSURFACE SOLUTIONSparticipant · DE
CY Cergy Paris Universitéparticipant · FR
GFZ HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM FUR GEOFORSCHUNGparticipant · DE
ENOGIAparticipant · FR
INSTITUT POLYTECHNIQUE UNILASALLEparticipant · FR
BENKEIparticipant · FR
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAT DARMSTADTparticipant · DE

How to reach the team

ES-GEOTHERMIE is a French geothermal company that coordinated the project. SciTransfer can facilitate an introduction to the right technical contact.

Order a report on this consortium See ES-GEOTHERMIE profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how MEET's ORC technology or EGS roadmap could work for your operations? SciTransfer connects businesses with the right people in this consortium — contact us for a tailored briefing.

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