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Drilling underway for geothermal spa in southwestern France

Drilling underway for geothermal spa in southwestern France Park at the Jonzac thermal spa, France (source: Chaine Thermale du Soleil - Jonzac)
Alexander Richter 7 Mar 2021

Drilling is underway for a well to replace a well drilled for the Jonzac thermal spa in southwestern France in 1979.

Once in a while we pick up some news that otherwise might go unnoticed. In a post on LinkedIn it was reported that a new well is being drilled for a thermal spa in Jonzac, France.  Jonzac is a commune of the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France north of Bordeaux.

The Jonzac thermal waters are located in a depth of 1,800 metres meters underground and have been feeding the Jonzac thermal spa since their discovery in 1979. The Jonzac Thermal  Spa  belong to  Chaine Thermale Du  Soleil , the leading French company in Thermal Medicine, Hot Spring Therapies and chronic deseases prevention.

The Company, was created in 1947 and now operates 20 Medical Spas and 42 Hospitality Structures such as Hotels, Residences and Outdoor Hospitality. In 2015, Chaine Thermale du Soleil took care of more than 180 000 patients and delivered more than 3 000 000 Healing days.

According to the news the MR8000 drilling rig by Averne Drilling has been set up to drill a new well to replace the initial well drilled in 1979.  The drilling  target is the thermal reservoir in the Triassic in a depth between 1,700 and 1,930 meters.  The expected temperature on the surface is around 62 degrees Celsius.

Project Management is provided by Antea Group (CFG), casings are provided by ITECO  Oilfield Supply Group and the safety coordination by Dekra Industrial.

The project is supported by the administration of the Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine in the Departmenet Charente-maritime in the Southwest of France and by the project owner Chaine  Thermale du Soleil.

Drilling was set to start March 3, 2021 with a scheduled end of drilling around April 10,  2021.

If we understand the commentary right, there were wider plans for the initial well drilled in 1979, yet lower flow rates only allowed the use for the thermal baths.

Source: Bruno Marsaud via LinkedIn