The State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology (LBEG) of Lower Saxony has approved three licenses for Austrian gas & energy company OMV to explore deep geothermal potential in Bremen and the Delmenhorst area, located just west of the city. Bremen is a city state in Germany and one of the largest cities in Northern Germany. This license enables OMV to immediately begin geothermal exploration under standard mining law, without additional regulatory restrictions—unlike other urban licenses that require prior approval of detailed operational plans.
The Delmenhorst license represents one of OMV’s most straightforward geothermal projects to date and provides a strategic entry point into northern Germany’s heating market.
Part of a broader European push
The license award follows OMV’s geothermal strategy updates shared during its Capital Markets Day in early October 2025. In Vienna, OMV – through a deep joint venture with Wien Energie – has completed drilling for a 20 MW pilot plant. Production testing is ongoing, and the plant is expected to start operations in 2028. A second phase with a 60 MW capacity is scheduled for drilling in 2026 and a planned start in 2030. Over the long term, OMV aims to scale geothermal capacity in Vienna to 200 MW, which could supply heat to around 200,000 households, approximately half of all households currently connected to the city’s district heating system.
In parallel, OMV is collaborating with closed-loop technology provider Eavor to develop a geothermal power project in Geretsried, Germany. This project is currently undergoing commercial viability testing, with electricity production targeted for 2025. The two companies have signed an exclusive strategic partnership, and OMV is also in discussions with other cities in Germany and Romania to replicate this model for scalable closed-loop geothermal development.
Altogether, OMV expects to invest approximately EUR 700 million in geothermal between 2026 and 2030. The company is targeting a net production output of around 1 TWh by 2030, with an expected internal rate of return (IRR) of at least 10 percent.
Strategic significance of Bremen
With the addition of the Delmenhorst license, OMV strengthens its footprint in northern Germany, an area with strong decarbonisation goals and increasing interest in renewable heat. The company’s ability to proceed without delay offers an opportunity to move quickly toward resource confirmation and future project development in coordination with local stakeholders.
Source: Press release by the mining authority
