Oil and gas deposits in the Czech Republic


Oil and gas deposits in the Czech Republic are small, and located mainly in southern Moravia. Oil and gas exploration in this area started in the early years of the 20th century. The first commercial oil extraction was in 1919. In 2005 340,600 m³ of crude oil and 98.75 million m³ of natural gas was extracted.

Deposits

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History

The first experimental oil well in the area was opened on March 27, 1900, near the Moravian village Bohuslavice. The second opened in the same year. Extraction costs were too high, so the area was abandoned until 1917. In 1919, the company Moravská těžařská společnost opened the first commercial well. In 1925 the company had 25 wells in the area. During World War II, oil production in Moravia became strategically important for the German war effort and was expanded by German companies. The largest company, DEA, had 1,200 wells just around Hodonín. Refineries bombed during the Oil Campaign of World War II included those at Brüx, Bratislava, Dubová, Kralupy, Kolín, and Pardubice.
On January 1, 1946, all existing oil companies in Bohemia and Moravia were merged into a single organization, Československé naftové závody. ČNZ had 1,858 employees in 1948. In 1958, ČNZ merged with a similar organisation from Slovakia and was renamed Moravské naftové doly. In 1990 the Slovakian part became independent.
Currently, MND operates the wells, underground gas storage facilities, and crude oil processing plants. In 2005 the company had 618 employees.

Extraction statistics

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YearOil Natural gas
199296,496102,030
1995173,383119,222
2000204,319106,899
2005340,63298,750

Local production covers only very small fraction of demand in the Czech Republic. In 1999, 176,000 tonnes of crude oil was extracted locally and 5,997,000 tonnes was imported.

Literature