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Geneva starting to drill second well for geothermal heating project

Geneva starting to drill second well for geothermal heating project Project site at Satigny, Geneva, Switzerland (source: GEothermie 2020)
Alexander Richter 2 Dec 2019

The geothermal heating project planned by Geneva and local Geneva Industrial Services is now starting to drill a second exploration well in Lully, Geneva, Switzerland.

Reported before the weekend, the Cantone of Geneva and the Geneva Industrial Services (GIS) are starting to drill a second exploratory well, which will go down to 1,130 meters at Lully (Bernex commune).

The first exploratory well was drilled in Satigny. That of Lully, one of the deepest wells ever drilled in Geneva, is carried out within the framework of the GEothermie 2020 program. Its goal is to contribute to achieving the objectives set by the canton of Geneva in thermal energy.

The Geneva basement is full of water, and exploratory drilling at Lully is intended to verify forecasts made from the surface and to control the presence of water and its flow.

At this average depth, the water temperature could reach 47 centigrades.  The Geneva subsoil is waterlogged, but distributed heterogeneously,  ” said Nathalie Andenmatten, project manager GEothermie2020 in the canton of Geneva. For five years, the State of Geneva and the GIS have been carrying out an accurate cartography of the subsoil of the canton as part of the GEothermie 2020 program. ”

This cartography , added Nathalie Andenmatten, made it possible to identify deep geological structures, natural faults in which water is presumed to circulate. But to check these forecasts, you have to drill.”

What precautions?

As with all projects, GIS takes all measures to ensure safety. A permanent surveillance network has been set up in collaboration with the Swiss Seismological Service and the University of Geneva. No seismicity has been felt on the Satigny drilling to date. The data will also be available live on the internet. Measures have also been taken to reduce nuisances for residents.

Source: Le Messager