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.
University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
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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.
TradeXBank to resume full operations after Sberbank Switzerland taken off sanctions list
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Geneva decides not to remove controversial memorials
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The city of Geneva has presented an action plan regarding a series of controversial local statues and monuments of historical figures linked to racism, colonialism or slavery.
University of Lausanne calls for end to pro-Palestine sit-in
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Ukraine peace conference should include Russia, says Chinese ambassador
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A majority of Swiss citizens have open attitudes towards various infertility treatments, including even egg donation, which is currently prohibited.
Reports of Swiss cyber fraud almost doubled in six months
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The head of the new Federal Office for Cybersecurity (FOC), Florian Schütz, has presented a new strategy after just over four months in office.
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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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