A Swiss geothermal energy project, designed to generate electricity for 900 homes and heat thermal baths, has been suspended because it doesn't have enough hot water to pump.
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Un proyecto geotérmico suizo queda paralizado por problemas técnicos
But the project has been suspended amid technical troubles in getting enough water into the 2,956 metre deep bore hole.
“Contrary to expectations the drilling operation has not produced a sufficiently powerful water flowrate to generate electricity,” the project organisers said on MondayExternal link.
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Can deep geothermal projects help secure Swiss energy independence?
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The climate crisis and the war in Ukraine have underlined the need to develop renewable energy sources like geothermal.
The project’s goal is to harness water that is heated to at least 110 degrees Celsius, with an ideal flowrate of 40 litres a second, to generate electricity. Deep underground the boiling point of water is higher than at ground level due to greater pressures.
It has been sited to tap into naturally occurring hot springs to create renewable energy.
But despite the setback, the company that runs the project, Alpine Geothermal Power Production (AGEPP), refused to concede defeat. It will conduct analysis to get to the root of the problem.
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Heat from the ground, it’s there for the taking
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In April, Lyesse Laloui, head of the Laboratory of Soil Mechanics at the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) will host a meeting of world specialists in “energy geostructures” for a workshop that has the support of the American National Science Foundation. EPFL were the first to test in real conditions the behaviour of heat…
“All is not lost, because the temperature at the bottom of the borehole is good,” said AGEPP boss Jean-François Pilet. “We have proven that it is possible to dig 3,000 meters deep in an alpine massif of very hard rock. This is positive for further drilling.”
The technical issues at Lavey-les-Bains comes as Switzerland prepares itself for gas shortages this winter and is actively looking for ways to increase the share of renewable energy production.
In Lavey-les-Bains, however, tests “did not record the slightest seismic activity stemming specifically from the operation within its vicinity.”
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Switzerland braces for winter energy crunch
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Explainer: why is there a risk of an energy shortage this winter? What is Switzerland doing to reduce gas and electricity consumption?
Switzerland condemned for deciding to deport gay Iranian
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Switzerland violated the prohibition on inhuman treatment by considering that a gay Iranian could be returned to his country.
Gestational diabetes found to increase risk of adult-onset diabetes
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A research team from the Lake Geneva region has identified persistent dysfunctions in glucose regulation in women with gestational diabetes. In the long term, this can increase the risk of adult-onset diabetes by up to ten times.
Swiss village must be evacuated by midday on Sunday
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The village of Brienz-Brinzauls in eastern Switzerland, which is threatened by a rockfall, must be evacuated by 1pm on Sunday. All residents must leave the village.
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A former judge of the Graubünden Administrative Court in eastern Switzerland has been found guilty of rape, sexual harassment and threatening a former trainee.
Costs and care time increase in Swiss retirement and nursing homes
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In 2023 the costs of retirement and nursing homes increased by 5% compared to 2022 and those of assistance and care at home by 7%. Together, they amounted to CHF15 billion.
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Almost half of the population in Switzerland shows clear to pronounced signs of smartphone addiction, according to a survey.
Swiss healthcare stakeholders want to save CHF300 million
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The main players in the Swiss healthcare sector want to save around CHF300 million ($340 million) in healthcare costs a year from 2026.
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Geothermal sector faces heat of public scrutiny
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But supporters insisted there is no chance of the promising alternative energy source dying a death in Switzerland despite the Basel experiment ending in earthquake damage and a criminal court case. The Deep Heat Mining project in Basel was officially abandoned last month after triggering earth tremors that caused SFr9 million ($8.7 million) in damage…
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Fredy Brunner, the member of the city council responsible for technical operations, announced the decision on Tuesday, having informed Swiss Energy Minister Doris Leuthard the previous day. The decision was taken after consultations with various experts, he said. The borehole has been stabilised and pipes have again been inserted to a depth of 4,000 metres.…
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Despite the failure of the ambitious Deep Heat Mining project in Basel, which was put on hold in 2007 after drilling work triggered a series of small earthquakes, several other Swiss cantons have declared an interest in geothermal power. The SFr200 million ($173 million) Geneva project, initiated by the local power company Services Industriels de…
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.