Drilling for the Haute-Sorne geothermal project started a little less than a month ago with a target of 4000 meters depth. During their visit, the chairman of the committee was pleased to hear that the well has now passed a depth of 1820 meters. Several aquifers have been encountered by the drilling without any problems.
Another update published by the developer Geo-Energie Jura states that the crystalline basement had been reached at a depth of 1790 meters. This marks the end of the second section of drilling which will then be followed with casing and cementing. The drilling work on the third and final section to the target depth will start by the 24th of June.
The committee
The patronage committee was set up by the federal government at the request of the Jura cantonal government. Made up of independent individuals, the committee’s duty is to ensure that good governance principles and quality standards are observed in all work and processes related to the project. Though it has no decision-making authority, the committee can identify problems and report them to the relevant persons and authorities. The committee can also serve as a dialogue and mediation platform for the various actors involved (authorities, operators and the monitoring and information committee), if necessary.
Former Vaud Council of States member Olivier Français was appointed chairman by Federal Councillor Albert Rösti. The other members are Pauline Godat, representative of the Jura cantonal parliament and vice-chairman, Prof. Christian Bréthaut, co-holder of the UNESCO Chair in Hydropolitics at the University of Geneva and representative of civil society, and Guy Bonvin from the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) as representative of the federal government.
In order for the patronage committee to be able to fulfil its task, it is provided with all the necessary information by those involved in the project. The operator, the canton, the monitoring and information commission and the SFOE actively inform the committee so that it can assess the processes and procedures. As part of its work, the federal patronage committee can also request external reports.
