In the Jura, the contested deep geothermal project reaches an important milestone

Published on August 28, 2024 at 7:26 p.m. / Modified on August 28, 2024 at 7:26 p.m.

In the shade of a row of trees, four Jura police officers watch over the deep geothermal construction site in Haute-Sorne. Inside the perimeter, gathered under a white tent, around 80 guests celebrate the end of the drilling of a 4,000-metre deep well, a first in the Jura Arc. The work began on 21 May and was completed last Saturday, “without any impact on the population or the environment”, underlines Olivier Zingg, director of Geo-Energie Jura. The presence of the police, however, is a reminder that this spring opponents of the project stormed the site.

This Wednesday, nothing of the sort happened. “We hope that the situation has calmed down a little,” continues Olivier Zingg. “The only thing we can do is show the authorities and the population that we are carrying out this project as we presented it.” The fears expressed concern in particular the seismic risks as well as possible pollution of the water table. “Any new technology brings its share of concerns. However, we have not observed any induced seismicity, nor any leaks of products or gas used for drilling.”

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