Drilling to start for geothermal project in Switzerland

Drilling rig of Daldrup in Schwerin, Germany (source: Daldrup & Söhne AG)

Through a press release by German Drilling technology and geothermal specialist Daldrup & Söhne AG we learn that a consortium  in Switzerland has contracted the company to drill a well for a geothermal project in the Rhone Valley in Switzerland. We assume it is the geothermal project at Lavey-les-Bains in Switzerland, we reported on last in March of this year.

The company will use the Drillmec “DS 20” rig with a hook load of 272 tonnes is scheduled to start in October 2021. The contract is worth a mid-single-digit million EUR amount.

The well is expected to be drilled to a depth of approximately 3,000 metres. The thermal water will be used to generate electricity and heat. To this end, a consortium plans to build a geothermal power plant using ORC technology (Organic Rankine Cycle) with an electrical output of at least 4.2 GWh and a thermal output of about 15.5 GWh. Part of the heat is also to be made available to a traditional thermal spa and health resort.

Source: company release