| Title | Repurposing hydrocarbon exploration data to assess geothermal potential in the southern Latium Region (Central Italy) |
|---|---|
| Authors | Giuseppe Vico |
| Year | 2026 |
| Conference | World Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | Geothermal assessment, Hydrocarbon exploration data, Central Italy, Decarbonisation |
| Abstract | The transition toward a low-carbon energy system is a key objective of the European Union’s decarbonization strategy, as outlined in Italy’s Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC, 2019). Central to this transition is the gradual replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy sources and a substantial increase in the share of renewables by 2030. Among the available options, geothermal energy represents a highly promising resource for both power generation and direct uses. A reliable assessment of geothermal potential requires detailed information on subsurface thermal conditions, as well as a thorough understanding of the geological and structural framework at depth. In Italy, temperature data are mainly derived from deep boreholes and are available on maps in the Italian National Geothermal Database (Trumpy and Manzella, 2017). Additional subsurface geological information is accessible through the ViDEPI Project (2019), which compiles subsurface data from historical hydrocarbon exploration surveys. These datasets, even if not frequently updated, form the basis for evaluating the geothermal prospectivity of Italy This study focuses on evaluating the geothermal potential in Central Italy by reanalyzing seismic data (well logs and seismic reflection profiles) originally acquired for oil and gas exploration. These data have been reprocessed and reinterpreted to improve the characterization of the subsurface and to obtain more detailed estimates of temperature at depth. By integrating seismic data with other public and confidential datasets and new estimated temperatures, several promising areas in the southern Latium region have been identified, and their geothermal potential has been quantified using the volume method. |