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Swiss geothermal direct use project receives $14m in federal funding

Swiss geothermal direct use project receives $14m in federal funding Nyon on Lake Geneva, Switzerland (source: flickr/ patrick_nouhailler, creative commons)
Alexander Richter 16 May 2019

A planned geothermal heating project in Vinzel, Switzerland has received federal funding of CHF14 million, around USD 14 million.

Reported today, the energy project at Vinzel in district of Nyon in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland has received a grant of more than CHF 14 million (around $13.9m) from the Confederation (the Swiss federal government). A first for a project of this size.

The medium-depth geothermal project, EnergeÔ, in Vinzel, receives the help of the federal government. The amount of the grant granted by the Federal Office of Energy: more than CHF 14 million. EnergeÔ is the first Swiss company to sign such a grant agreement with Bern, the company said in a statement.

EnergeÔ filed a file in January 2018. File that the SFOE has evaluated. The EnergeÔ Vinzel project has “a significant added value for researching geothermal resources in Switzerland because it is the first project to target a hydrothermal reservoir at the foot of the Jura,” he said in the statement.

He added: “This project could unlock the potential of this geological context extending to the canton of Geneva, the canton of Neuchâtel, and even beyond. The multiplication potential of this type of project is therefore important. “According to the contract, the payment of these CHF 14 million will be made in stages, depending on the progress of the project.

“A recognition of the efforts undertaken for ten years”

This support from Berne is greeted with great satisfaction by the four regional partners of this project: Romande Energie, SEFA, CEIU and the Industrial Services of the City of Nyon. It “rewards the entrepreneurial commitment of the shareholders of EnergeÔ and especially marks a recognition, at the federal level, of the efforts made by all the people who have invested in the project over the last ten years”, note -they.

As a reminder, EnergeÔ Vinzel should produce closed geothermal hot water under current plans around 2021-2022. This water must be used to provide heat via remote heating mainly to Gland. This would reduce CO2 emissions by between 4,000 and 5,000 tonnes per year. The total cost of the project could be around CHF23 million ($23m).

Source: LaCote.ch