Project Approval & Agreement
- Green Light for Launch: Following a positive decision in principle earlier this year, a new agreement has been officially signed between the Canton of Jura, Geo-Energie Suisse, and Geo-Energie Jura. This allows the pioneering Haute-Sorne geothermal project to officially begin.
- Addressing Concerns: The new convention successfully addresses and integrates the security, environmental, and safety concerns raised by local citizens, businesses, and the Jurassian government.
A Step-by-Step Approach for Maximum Safety
- Safety First: The primary objective of the long-term project is to produce renewable, $CO_2$-free baseload energy using stimulated geothermal systems. However, all parties emphasize that public safety remains the top priority.
- Exploratory Drilling: The initial phase involves drilling to a depth of 4 to 5 kilometers to precisely map the subsurface. Alongside geophysical measurements, this will provide invaluable geological insights for the entire Jura region between Geneva and Basel.
- Risk Assessment: Decisions regarding a second borehole, reservoir stimulation, and the final construction of the power plant will only be made sequentially, after carefully analyzing seismic risks and data at every single stage.
- Global Expertise: The project will incorporate recent successful multi-stage stimulation tests conducted by ETH Zurich in the Bedretto underground laboratory (Ticino), as well as data from the US Department of Energy’s FORGE project in Utah.
Regional Potential & Future Impact
- Energy Output: Once successfully operational, the geothermal plant is projected to have a capacity of up to 5 megawatts, providing clean electricity and renewable heat to the local region.
- Strategic Importance: The project actively supports Switzerland's Energy Strategy 2050, generating significant local economic value while drawing national and international attention to Swiss energy innovation.
Transparency & Public Information
- Overcoming Misinformation: Following a definitive Federal Supreme Court ruling in 2018, public discussions were frequently muddled by inaccurate information. The project operators are now heavily emphasizing complete transparency and open dialogue.
- Monitoring & Oversight: By autumn, the Canton will establish a monitoring and information commission consisting of local authorities, residents, associations, and federal representatives.
- National Patronage: The Swiss Confederation will also set up a patronage committee by autumn, highlighting the national significance of this pilot project for Switzerland's sustainable energy future.
Media contacts
Peter Meier — CEO, Geo-Energie Suisse AG — T +41 79 248 48 65
Olivier Zingg — CEO, Geo-Energie Jura SA — T +41 79 321 43 20
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About the multi-stage stimulation concept |
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| Le concept de stimulation multi-étapes développé par Geo-Energie Suisse SA peut être utilisé aussi bien pour la production d'électricité que pour celle de chaleur ou pour le stockage d'énergie. Comme la technologie peut être appliquée non seulement dans les roches cristallines profondes, mais également dans les roches sédimentaires, elle peut être multipliée et utilisée de manière ciblée presque partout en Suisse. Le potentiel de cette technologie pour permettre une percée de la géothermie en tant qu'énergie de ruban renouvelable et exempte de CO2 est donc très important. Fin 2020, Geo-Energie Suisse SA a réussi à apporter la démonstration technique du procédé. Celle-ci a eu lieu dans le laboratoire souterrain de l'EPFZ à Bedretto (TI). En tant que partenaire industriel, Geo-Energie Suisse SA validera en outre les connaissances acquises dans le laboratoire de Bedretto dans le cadre du projet américain FORGE (Utah), dans le domaine des hautes températures. | ||
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PrincipleUsing horizontal drilling, vertical fractures present in the subsurface can be intersected and pressurised sequentially in order to increase their permeability. Geo-Energie Suisse SA’s multi-stage stimulation concept aims to optimise reservoir efficiency and thus the project’s profitability, whilst minimising seismic risk. |
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About the Haute-Sorne geothermal project – Aims and background |
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The Haute-Sorne project aims to generate renewable energy using enhanced geothermal systems. To achieve this, the staged stimulation process developed by Geo-Energie Suisse SA (GES) will be implemented. Through carefully controlled sequential stimulation, the permeability of the rock will be increased whilst reducing the seismic risk. In the first phase of the project, an exploration well will be drilled to study the subsurface and thereby clarify its potential for exploitation. Only after a detailed evaluation of the measurement results will a decision be taken on whether to proceed with the project www.geo-energie-jura.ch |
| 2012 - 2015 |
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GES made initial contact with the Canton of Jura and the municipality of Haute-Sorne. On the basis of widely shared interests, GES submitted a planning application comprising an in-depth risk assessment and an environmental impact assessment. This was followed by the signing of a contract for the sale of the building plot, the formation of a support group and the first public information sessions. |
| 2015 - 2018 |
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Authorisation to proceed with the project was granted in 2015, followed by the establishment of Geo-Energie Jura SA, headquartered in Haute-Sorne, and a collaboration agreement between Geo-Energie Jura SA, the Canton of Jura and the municipality of Haute-Sorne. In 2016, an appeal against the construction project was dismissed by the cantonal administrative court. At the end of 2017, GES informed the cantonal government of an earthquake that had caused damage in Pohang (South Korea) following stimulation operations for a geothermal project. The cantonal government then requested a detailed report from GES and an expert assessment from the Swiss Seismological Service (SED). At the end of 2018, the Federal Supreme Court authorised the project in the final instance. The cantonal special plan came into force. |
| 2019 - 2022 |
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In 2019, the SED confirmed the quality of GES’s seismic risk management and recommended that the project proceed, subject to specific adjustments to bring it into line with the latest state of the art. In April 2020, the Canton of Jura announced the launch of proceedings that could lead to the withdrawal of the authorisation. In June 2020, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) increased its exploration grant for the Haute-Sorne project from 64 to 90 million francs (to cover the latest measurement and monitoring technologies). In January 2022, the canton of Jura gave its agreement in principle to the continuation of the pilot project, subject to the safety framework being strengthened, following which an agreement was signed and made public in June. |
