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Geothermal tests postponed by red tape delays

Geothermal borehole in Zurich, Switzerland
Switzerland has potential for generating geothermal energy but realising that promise is no easy task. Keystone / Walter Bieri

Tests to determine the viability of geothermal energy projects in Switzerland have been hit by delays in getting the necessary planning permits.

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Geothermal borehole in Zurich, Switzerland

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Geothermal tests postponed by red tape delays

This content was published on Tests to determine the viability of geothermal energy projects in Switzerland have been hit by delays in getting the necessary planning permits.

Read more: Geothermal tests postponed by red tape delays

A large-scale operation in cantons Bern and Jura in northwest Switzerland was supposed to have taken place this autumn but has now been postponed to the spring of 2023.

The test involves placing some 2,500 probes in the soil to collect geological data that will be used to determine the best conditions for a geothermal energy project.

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Red tape has been blamed for the delay as the probes and transport needed to deliver them to both public and private land require a large number of permits.

Some probes will be located on high ground and cannot operate when they are covered in snow. Therefore, a decision was taken on Monday to suspend the whole project until the spring thaw.

The delay means the earliest results will not be available until early 2024. If the data is positive, the government will decide whether to fund initial drilling in 2026. In this case, the anticipated geothermal project could be up and running in 2028.

Geothermal energy is considered one promising alternative to fossil fuels in Switzerland, but the renewable energy source has met with some difficulties.

Some sites have been shut down or temporarily stopped after being blamed for creating earth tremors.

More recently, a much anticipated geothermal project in Lavey-les-Bains in western Switzerland was suspended for technical reasons.

Switzerland is exploring several alternative energy options having set itself the target of being CO2 neutral by 2050.

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