2024 - Electricity from geothermal energy - Despite a bad reputation: Lucerne wants to promote geothermal energy

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In the future, electricity in Switzerland will be generated from geothermal energy at great depths. The technology is new and safe.

Anyone in Switzerland who hears the word “geothermal energy” may first think of the experiences in Basel and St. Gallen. It was 10 years ago when the earth shook in St. Gallen. The vibrations were triggered by drilling tests for the planned deep geothermal energy system in the Sittertobel.

Things were similar in Basel in 2006, when drilling also triggered a slight earthquake. Although the earth’s tremors were only mild, they still led to the end of the two geothermal energy projects.

The Inwil region offers good conditions

These times are over, the risks are now significantly smaller. At least that is the belief of those responsible at Zentralschweizer Kraftwerke AG (CKW). According to a media conference on Wednesday, a new attempt should now be made.

Specifically, CKW is starting investigations into a geothermal energy project in the Inwil/Perlen region in the canton of Lucerne. According to a feasibility study carried out two years ago, this region offers very good conditions for a geothermal energy project.

According to CKW, drilling technology has made great progress in recent years. Specifically, early geothermal energy projects (in Basel and St. Gallen) involved drilling into fracture and fault zones in the earth’s interior. A lot of hot water circulates there, but these zones are often under tension. They pose the risk of earth tremors.

Drilling technology has now become more sophisticated and the early detection of seismic activity has been greatly developed. “Thanks to these newly tested technologies, no earth movements that can be felt by humans are triggered,” writes CKW in the press release. In addition, the Inwil area is considered an area with a high seismic risk.

Specifically, the Inwil project will use hot water from a drilling depth of around 4,000 to 4,500 meters. At this depth the water has a temperature of around 140 degrees Celsius. The geothermal energy project has the potential to produce electricity for around 6,500 households.

“The technologies are available, we want to invest in security of supply and drive expansion,” says Martin Schwab, CEO of CKW.

Switzerland is not on track when it comes to expanding renewable energies.

CKW argues with the increasing demand for electricity. Without a massive expansion of renewable energies, Switzerland would be heading towards a power shortage in winter. The advantage of geothermal energy is that it can provide electricity and heat around the clock. So-called band energy that can be obtained regardless of the weather and time of day.

“Switzerland is not on track when it comes to expanding renewable energies,” says Martin Schwab. The use of geothermal energy is therefore very important for security of supply. “This energy source is already being used on a large scale in Germany and France,” says Schwab. “We must also be able to implement geothermal energy projects in Switzerland.”

Legend:

In Inwil, drilling will take place to a depth of around 4,000 meters. As the visualization of the CKW shows, it is hoped that there will be hot water springs there.

ZVG/CKW

There are currently no geothermal plants producing electricity in Switzerland, although some investigations are underway. The geothermal energy project in Haute-Sorne in the canton of Jura is most advanced. The aim of this project is to produce electricity for around 6,000 households. To achieve this, drilling will be carried out around five kilometers deep. The rock layers are significantly warmer at this depth. In the Jura, however, the work also leads to protests from the population (see box).

In the Jura capital of Delsberg, around 1,000 people demonstrated against a geothermal energy project. They demanded an immediate stop in Haute-Sorne. The “Citoyens responsables du Jura” association called for the demonstration. In their opinion, the project poses dangers for the population and is harmful to health. “We want to show the government that the people are increasingly against this project and that they need to be heard,” said the association’s president, Jack Aubry.

According to Cédric Höllmüller from “Geothermal Switzerland”, the project in the Jura is only partially comparable to the one in Lucerne. «In Lucerne, existing hot water is being drilled for (hydrothermal geothermal energy project). In the Jura it is a petrothermal geothermal energy project.” This involves artificially creating a reservoir in which cold water can circulate and warm up.