Seismic survey yields promising results for Riehen geothermal project

Park at Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/ Switzerland (source: flickr/ eager, creative commons)

Wärmeverbund Riehen (WVR) AG has presented the promising results of a recently completed seismic survey conducted in Riehen, Bettingen, large parts of Basel, the neighboring Baselbiet communities Birsfelden, Münchenstein and Muttenz, as well as parts of the Grenzach-Wyhlen community. The results support the viability of a second geothermal heating plant that will support the growing need of the Riehen population for climate-friendly district heating.

The Riehen geothermal system has been reliably delivering climate-friendly thermal energy to the 8,500 residents of Riehen for over 26 years. We first reported on plans to expand the geothermal district heating system in Riehen back in 2020 with the approval of the residents’ council of the municipality.

The project is being developed by the two shareholders of WVR AG, the Municipality of Riehen and the Industrielle Werke Basel (IWB). At the beginning of 2022, WVR AG and IWB carried out a seismic survey to gain a better understanding of the subsurface and help find a location for the second geothermal plant. The survey utilized more than 9,000 geophones distributed across 43 square kilometers and collected 20 TB of data.

The survey has been supported by federal funding, as we had reported.

The results of the survey were presented to the local population during an information and dialogue event held on 28 March 2023. The presentation materials (in German) are available via this link.

Initial results from the seismic survey have been promising. “The positive results show that the subsoil offers very good conditions for a second geothermal plant. We are now tackling the further project steps,” commented Matthias Meier, Managing Director of WVR AG.

According to the project timeline of WVR AG, the plan is to starting drilling of the borehole in 2023-2024 and for construction of the new geothermal plant by 2025-2026.

Source: Erdwärme Riehen