| Abstract |
The subject of this paper is to present the case of Geneva canton’s approach to develop the use of geothermal resources. The specificity of the approach is its integrated embracing of all aspects concerned with geothermal development. A country with no extractive industry past, Switzerland has very little information about its subsurface set up. The challenge of developing geothermal resources started from scratch. Even worse, geothermal is associated with Basel and St Gallen projects, well known in Switzerland for the seismic activity they were responsible for. In Geneva, a canton amongst the 26 of the country, characterised by massive use of fossil fuel for building heating, and high heating needs density, the option of using geothermal resources to reach the energy transition goals has been identified years ago (Geothermal potential of Geneva Canton, 2011). The government officially launched the GEothermie2020 program in 2013, with the aim to massively and sustainably develop geothermal resources in Geneva. The two main aspects that define the program are: - a public led approach, where the administration (geological and energy departments mainly) pilots the implementation and the progress, and the public held utility company is in charge of financing and putting the plans into actions - a holistic approach, where not only exploration of the geothermal resources is covered, but all aspects that will eventually result in the program’s ultimate goal: regulation, environment and sustainability, cross border cooperation, communication and public acceptance, data collection, analysis and management, market development and ultimate use of the resources (decentralised heat pump, district heating systems, primary users like agriculture, etc.). Switzerland political system and culture is characterized by systematic use of direct democracy. As such, the public’s interest in societal matters is high, and population expectations in terms of information and public debates can strongly influence policies decisions making. The GEothermie2020 program was driven from day one by these considerations, and presents an interesting example of agility, collaboration, and progressive derisking of the use of geothermal resources, to eventually grant success to the development of that resource. |