Oil and gas deposits in the Czech Republic facts for kids

Oil and gas deposits in the Czech Republic are small. They are mostly found in southern Moravia. People started looking for oil and gas here in the early 1900s. The first time oil was taken out for sale was in 1919. By 2005, about 340,600 cubic meters of crude oil and 98.75 million cubic meters of natural gas were extracted.

Where Oil and Gas Are Found

Most of the oil in the Czech Republic is in an area called the Vienna-Moravia oil and gas region. The oil is found deep underground, sometimes as far down as 2,800 meters. The best rocks for finding oil are sandstones from the Middle and Upper Badenian periods (a time in Earth's history).

The biggest oil field in this area is Hrušky. Most of its oil has already been taken out. Now, this area is used to store natural gas.

Another place where oil might be found is in the Moravian part of the Carpathian foredeep. This is an area where oil exploration is still happening. The most important oil spots are in old, weathered rocks from the Paleozoic era. The oil from here is light and doesn't have much sulphur. Examples of oil fields in this area are Uhřice and Kloboučky.

In 1999, three different types of oil were found. They varied in how heavy they were and how much sulphur they contained.

Natural gas is usually found in the same places as oil. Most of these gas deposits are in the southern Moravian part of the Vienna Basin. The gas from these places is mostly methane (CH4), which is the main part of natural gas. It's very pure, usually between 87.2% and 98.8% methane.

The Carpathian foredeep is also a promising area for natural gas. The gas here can be quite different from one place to another. For example, the Dolní Dunajovice deposit has 98% methane. But the West Kostelany deposit has only about 70% methane. It also has a lot of helium and argon, which are valuable gases that can be taken out for industrial use.

In Silesia, especially between Příbor and Český Těšín, gas is found in old, weathered rocks from the Carboniferous period. Scientists are still trying to figure out exactly how these gas deposits formed. It's thought that the gas might have formed during Earth's movements that created natural hydrocarbons. This is especially true for the gas deposits in Český Těšín, Bruzovice, and Příbor. Part of the Příbor gas field is used to store gas underground.

Natural gas from the Carboniferous period is also taken out when coal seams are "degassed" in the Czech part of the Upper Silesian coal basin. This means gas is removed from coal mines. The quality of this gas can change depending on how it's taken out.

History of Oil and Gas

The very first test well for oil in this region was dug on March 27, 1900. It was near the village of Bohuslavice, which is now part of Kyjov. Another test well was opened that same year. However, it cost too much to get the oil out, so the area was left alone until 1917.

In 1919, a company called Moravská těžařská společnost opened the first well that produced oil for sale. By 1925, this company had 25 wells in the area.

During World War II, oil production in Moravia became very important for the German war effort. German companies expanded the oil fields. The biggest company, DEA (Deutsche Erdöl A.G.), had 1,200 wells just around Hodonín. Oil refineries, which turn crude oil into useful products, were bombed during the war. These included refineries in places like Brüx, Bratislava, Dubová, Kralupy, Kolín, and Pardubice.

On January 1, 1946, all the oil companies in Bohemia and Moravia joined together. They formed one organization called Československé naftové závody (ČNZ). By 1948, ČNZ had 1,858 employees. In 1958, ČNZ merged with a similar group from Slovakia. The new company was named Moravské naftové doly (MND). In 1990, the Slovakian part of the company became independent.

Today, MND runs the oil and gas wells, underground gas storage facilities, and places where crude oil is processed. In 2005, the company had 618 employees.

How Much Oil and Gas Is Extracted

Here's a table showing how much oil and natural gas was extracted in certain years:

The amount of oil and gas produced locally in the Czech Republic is very small. It only covers a tiny part of what the country needs. For example, in 1999, only 176,000 tonnes of crude oil were taken out locally. But the country had to import 5,997,000 tonnes from other places.

See also

• Energy in the Czech Republic

Literature

• Jarmila Bednaříková, Arnošt Thon: Naftový průmysl na území Československa (Oil industry in Czechoslovakia), 1984, Moravské naftové doly.