Geothermal Energy Plan Falls Apart After Quakes Hit Basel

Apparently the designer of the “hot rock” scheme could be facing jail time over damage to properties. This scheme was suppose to be an environmentally friendly way to generate electricity. The goal was for geologists in Switzerland to drill deep into the ground and pump water into shafts that would use the steam generated by hot rocks to power 10,000 homes.

However, it now seems that the geothermal power plant has to be abandoned after a series of earthquakes, one registering as high as 3.4 magnitude, did property damage to the city of Basel. The project designer, geologist Markus Haering, denies deliberately damaging property. A verdict is expected next week, and he faces up to five years in prison if found guilty.

The scheme, which was led by Geopower Basel, aimed to generate power commercially by boiling water beneath the Earth’s surface. The team was going to drill a series of holes that penetrated up to three miles into the earth.

Water was going to be pumped onto rocks with a temperature of more than 195ºC before the series of earthquakes occurred. The project was, of course, suspended after the strongest quake hit, and the designer does reject allegations of deliberating causing damage to the city, saying that local people had been aware of the risks the whole time. He went on to say that they had very little knowledge of seismicity before they started drilling, and the quakes that took place were, of course, a learning process. He also noted that the team stopped pumping water into the shaft immediately after the biggest quake hit.