City of Zurich to co-finance Haute-Sorne geothermal project in Jura, Switzerland

Zurich by night (source: Tiago Henriques / flickr, Creative Commons)

The city council of Zurich has agreed to co-finance the geothermal project in the municipality of Haute-Sorne with CHF 9 million (approx. USD 9.13 million). City council Michael Baumer said that the city council is hoping to make an important contribution towards avoiding an impending winter power shortage in Switzerland.

The funding provided by Zurich is expected go towards the drilling of an exploratory well in Haute-Sorne. The Zurich City Electrical Works (EWZ) is a founding shareholder of the project with 22% ownership. We had recently reported on the project receiving a go-ahead anew from the Canton of Jura through an agreement with Geo Energie Suisse and Geo Energie Jura.

The planned geothermal power plant will have a 5-MW capacity and is expected to supply clean power to around 6,000 households. The project is also supported by the federal government.

Source: Luzerner Zeitung