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Haute-Sorne geothermal project gets green light in Switzerland

Haute-Sorne geothermal project gets green light in Switzerland Glovelier, Jura/ Switzerland (source: Geo-Energie Suisse)
Alexander Richter 27 Jan 2022

The Haute-Sorne geothermal project can continue yet under additional security requirements put forward by the canton of Jura.

The canton of Jura in Switzerland wants to continue the Haute-Sorne geothermal pilot project, so local news todayBefore the resumption, the canton of Jura announced that an agreement with additional safety requirements for all stages should be drawn up with the company responsible for the project, Geo-Energie-Suisse. At the same time, the information and monitoring commission must guarantee transparency towards the population.

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.

Source: Wil24