The canton of Jura is thus committed to “further exploration and development of a promising renewable energy source of national interest,” said the Federal Office of Energy (SFOE). If the project were to be implemented one day, around 6,000 households could be supplied with electricity in the long term, which is produced from the heat generated at great depths.
But the project is not without controversy among parts of the population and politicians, namely because of an earthquake in South Korea in 2017, which may have been triggered by deep geothermal drilling. In addition, two geothermal projects were stopped in Switzerland – in 2014 in the canton of St. Gallen and in 2006 due to an earthquake in Basel.
At the same time geothermal development in Switzerland continues for heating projects in Geneva, near Lausanne, in Lavey-les-Bains, and as we reported yesterday in Riehen near Basel.