OMV announces new gas discovery in Austria

Austrian energy producer OMV on July 28 announced the Wittau Tief-2a exploration well as a confirmed new natural gas discovery in Lower Austria. The well was drilled to a final depth of 5,000 m over five months.

According to preliminary evaluations, there are potential recoverable resources of approximately 48 TWh (equivalent to 28mn barrels of oil). The find is expected to lead to a 50% increase in local natural gas production after the field is fully developed.

“As we continue to work on our strategy to diversify our supply sources of natural gas, this new find marks a major contribution to the natural gas supply of our customers especially in Austria, with an expected increase of our local production,” said Alfred Stern, CEO of OMV.

OMV is now considering various options to further appraise the field and is looking into the possibility of fast-track development. The company is also exploring the potential for development in conjunction with their OMV-operated natural gas facility in Aderklaa, which is located around 10 km from the discovery.