Financing approved for expansion of geothermal heating in Riehen, Switzerland

The Grand Council of the Canton of Basel-Stadt has approved a conditionally repayable loan of CHF 7 million (approx. USD 8.5 million) to support the expansion of the geothermal heating system in Riehen, Switzerland. The other half of the financing, which is for the same amount, is expected to be decided by the municipal council of Riehen this October. This development follows the appeal for financing made by the respective governments earlier this year.

According to the government’s recommendations, the two loans are interest-free and are slated for a drawdown period of 15 years.

The financing is meant to support the expansion of the “geo2riehen” project, the geothermal heating plant in Riehen which has been operating since 1994. The heating system is currently supplied by a geothermal doublet, drilled in 1988 to depths of about 1500 meters. About 8500 residents already benefit from geothermal heat supply in Riehen; the expansion work seeks to expand this by an additional 4000 people.

More specifically, the loan will fund the 5.5-km expansion of the Riehen district heating network, new house connections, and the necessary expansion of the production facilities.

The local heating company Wärmeverbund Riehen AG (WVR) had initially received CHF 1.2 million in funding from the Federal Government to execute geophysical studies to characterize the extension of the geothermal reservoir. A seismic survey was done in 2022, yielding encouraging results and supporting the development of a second heating plant. The results also helped identify a site in the Grendelmatten area as optimal for the drilling of new wells and the location of the second plant.

Source: Swissinfo.ch