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Geothermal potential, chemical characteristics, and utilization of groundwater in Serbia

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Abstract

To collect and unify data about all geothermal resources in Serbia, a database was formed. The database allows us to perceive the geothermal resources of Serbia and their potential for utilization. Based on the data available in the geothermal database, the estimated temperatures of reservoirs, heat power, and geothermal energy utilization were calculated. The database contains 293 geothermal records (springs, boreholes) registered at 160 locations, with groundwater temperatures in the range between 20 and 111 °C. The maximum expected temperature of the reservoir is 146 °C according to the use of a SiO2 geothermometer. Some thermal water is cooled due to mixing with cold, shallow water. Geothermal resources are mostly used for balneology and recreation, and less for heating, water supply, bottling, fish and animal farms, agriculture, and industrial. 26% of all geothermal resources is used by the local population or has not been used at all. The annual utilization of geothermal energy for direct heat is 1507 TJ/yr, and the estimated capacity of geothermal energy in Serbia is 111 MWt. The results of analytical work were presented in the form of maps with a geological and hydrogeological background. Thermal waters are mostly located within an area of Tertiary magmatism. Three geothermal potential areas are identified in Serbia: Pannonian basin-Vojvodina Province, the Mačva-Srem area and area from Jošanička Banja to Vranjska Banja (southern Serbia). Based on chemical analyses, four hydrochemical facies are distinguished. Thermal water mainly belongs to the NaHCO3 or CaMgHCO3 hydrochemical facies, usually depending on the primary aquifer type: karst, karst-fissured, intergranular or fissured.

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Availability of data and material

The data that support the findings of this paper are available on request. Restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used for this study. Data are available from the corresponding author with the permission of Ministry of Mining and Energy, and Geological Survey of Serbia.

Code availability (software application or custom code)

Not applicable.

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Acknowledgements

This paper is a result of the project: “Collection, updating and building database about geothermal resources of Republic of Serbia” supported by the Government of Republic of Serbia, Ministry of Mining and Energy and GeoERA project, funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement No. 731166.

Funding

The Government of Republic of Serbia, Ministry of Mining and Energy, and GeoERA project, co-funded from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement No. 731166, supported the research.

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  1. Jana Štrbački

    Present address: Department of Hydrogeology, Faculty of Mining and Geology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

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  1. Geological Survey of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia

    Tanja Petrović Pantić, Katarina Atanasković Samolov & Milan Tomić

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  1. Tanja Petrović Pantić
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Contributions

Conception and design: TPP, KAS; Data acquisition: TPP, MT, KAS; Writing—original draft preparation TPP, KSA, MT; Writing—edited the manuscript: TPP, KSA, JŠ. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Tanja Petrović Pantić.

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Petrović Pantić, T., Atanasković Samolov, K., Štrbački, J. et al. Geothermal potential, chemical characteristics, and utilization of groundwater in Serbia. Environ Earth Sci 80, 736 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-021-09985-w

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