The Federal Technical Institute of Zurich (ETHZ) says the facilities – situated in a disused access tunnel of the Matterhorn Gotthard railways in the Bedretto Valley – are a world first.
In cooperation with national and international partners, the ETHZ has installed seven additional seismic stations in and around the rock laboratory.
The Bedretto projectExternal link wants to show that the construction of a heat exchanger that is sustainable over several decades can be planned and controlled with the aid of hydraulic stimulation processes, according to the promoters.
The experiments, to begin in July, will be carried out on larger scales (hundreds of meters) compared a previous project near the Grimsel Pass in the Alps. The Grimsel ISCExternal link project successfully carried out pressure fluid injection experiments in crystalline rock, according to the promoters.
“The larger scale implicates longer boreholes, which allow more realistic experiments to be carried out, applying different stimulation concepts,” said the Swiss Competence Center for Energy Research – Supply of Electricity.
“The Bedretto project addresses questions associated with (….) the sustainable utilization of heat exchanges in deep underground,” the Seismological Service of the ETHZExternal link said.
The construction of the Bedretto lab is expected to cost about CHF20 million ($20 million) and allow researchers to carry out test inside the 5.2km-long tunnel for ten years.
Swiss authorities announce cost-cutting in asylum sector
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The government notably wants to improve integration into the labour force, particularly for people with protection status S.
Various leaders confirm participation at Ukraine peace conference
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The presidents of Poland, Finland, and Latvia and the prime ministers of Spain and Belgium will be at the Swiss-hosted talks in mid-June.
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In the winter season up to April 2024, railway and cable car operators ferried 3% more visitors compared to the previous winter, and 5% more than the five-year average.
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As part of an international agreement with Austria, the Swiss government wants to pump CHF1 billion ($1.1 billion) into flood protection measures along the Rhine over the next three decades.
Swiss government proposes CHF10 million UNRWA donation
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After months of debate, Switzerland plans to give CHF10 million ($11 million) to the UN agency this year, rather than the CHF20 million initially foreseen.
Swiss study: insects mainly migrate at midday and dusk
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A study led by the Swiss Ornithological Institute in canton Lucerne is helping to better understand the movement patterns of migratory insects.
Red Cross: 22 staff killed in Middle East since October
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The Red Cross and Red Crescent network in Gaza and Israel has lost 22 staff members since last October, the Swiss Red Cross (SRC) said on Wednesday.
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Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel has achieved history by becoming the first Swiss goalkeeper to reach a Champion’s League final.
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Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.
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The author of a book about underground Switzerland discusses 'beautiful drinking-water reservoirs' and Switzerland's collective agoraphobia.
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A year has passed since Switzerland inaugurated the world’s longest railway tunnel. More underground marvels are in the pipeline.
An Alpine village on the frontline of climate change
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Guttannen is a small and rustic village up in the Swiss Alps that exudes serenity. But this tranquil idyll is threatened by an unstable mountain.
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