When record find flows

Baumgarten and “gold from the depths of the Marchfeld”

This is where the gas supply for half of Europe is turned.

(Bild: APA/AFP/JOE KLAMAR)

The gas supply for half of Europe is regulated from this important interface: The gas distribution station in Baumgarten an der March has attracted particular media attention on two occasions: An explosion in December 2017 and the largest gas discovery in local history in the summer of 2023. But when will it be connected to the station on the border with Slovakia - the "gaseous gold" from the Marchfeld soil?

It recently celebrated 50 years: TAG GmbH, one of Austria's leading pipeline operators. Literally inseparable from the TAG pipelines is the Baumgarten an der March gas hub in the district of Gänserndorf, from which three pipelines now run all the way to Tarvisio in Italy. The five compressor stations also supply the respective federal state - from Lower Austria to Carinthia. There, the TAG pipeline joins the Italian pipeline system. 

TAG's triple pipeline runs from Baumgarten to Tarvis/Italy.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV)

Partial conversion to hydrogen transportation planned
On the occasion of the anniversary, it was announced that the pipeline system would be partially converted towards renewable energy, i.e. hydrogen, by 2030. And if we take a look into the (sustainable) future, part of the pipeline system is to be converted to transport hydrogen by 2030.

The system has huge dimensions - here is an overview.

(Bild: Leisser Andreas/Andi Leisser)

Baumgarten as an important east-west hub on the gas market
The hub comes up again and again when it comes to gas supplies from Russia. But it also flows in the opposite direction: since October of this year, the capacity to import gas from the Italian network to the north towards Baumgarten has been increased - from 71 to 86 TWh.  

Shocked the country: the 2017 explosion at the station - what the tremendous heat did . . .

(Bild: Antal Imre/IMRE ANTAL)

This was followed by days of extinguishing and then repair work.

(Bild: EPA)

The "Sheikhs of Marchfeld": when will the record find flow?
There was jubilation in Marchfeld and throughout Austria in 2023 when the largest gas bubble to date was tapped at a depth of 5,000 meters - the largest discovery in 40 years. "Just a single day's production could cover the annual gas requirements of almost 300 households (comparison of figures from 2023 and still without the heat pump boom, note). When asked, OMV emphasized that the gas production would remain in Austria and not be sold: "Everything will be fed into the Austrian grid."

The only problem is that gas doesn't have a "little machine" and today the question is: when will the gaseous gold be ready? "In order to tap into the potentially recoverable resources of this gas field, a further well is needed first," says OMV. However, the construction of the second well is still planned for the first half of 2025, according to the company.

The test drilling went to a depth of 5000 meters - an enormous effort.

(Bild: Andreas Leisser)

The sealed-off site shortly after the discovery of the record gas deposit - "Krone" reporter on site in the heat of summer 2023.

(Bild: Leisser Andreas/Andreas Leisser)

Bureaucracy: tenders, land negotiations & co.
The gold of the Marchfeld underground will not "flow" that quickly after all. According to a Krone inquiry, OMV is currently only preparing the detailed technical planning for the extraction of the new gas deposit. First, the tender for the contractual partners is being negotiated and the final project approval, including landowner commitments for excavation, is being prepared - and only then can things "get started": in other words, the gas can finally flow to Baumgarten.