Decarbonisation will rely on heat pumps in the future
The Federal Office for Buildings and Logistics is shelving the planned project to use deep geothermal energy for the National Sports Centre in Magglingen. The costs of deep drilling are higher than expected. Instead, geothermal energy closer to the surface and heat pumps are to be used.
The National Sports Centre in Magglingen will not be heated with heat from deep underground in future. According to a statement, the Federal Office for Buildings and Logistics (BBL) is discontinuing the project. The subsoil proved to be too complex. Deep drilling would therefore incur higher costs than forecast.
The FBL launched the geothermal project in 2018. Studies had identified potential for hot water at a depth of 1,500 to 2,000 metres in 2023. The intention was to exploit this potential as early as 2029.
However, the BBL is sticking to its intention to decarbonise the sports centre’s heat supply. To this end, it plans to use geothermal energy closer to the surface and heat pumps. These are to replace natural gas and wood pellets as the main heat suppliers. However, this is not likely to be possible until 2031 at the earliest, according to the press release.