Airport tests water reservoir under glacial channel
Zurich Airport is starting the construction of a second test well in an ice age channel under the site. It is to be used as a heat and cold reservoir to cover the heating and cooling requirements of the airport building. A first test well has delivered positive results.
Flughafen Zürich AG is starting the construction of a second test well in an ice-age channel located around 300 meters below the airport site, the airport operator announced in a press release. It plans to use the water-bearing channel as a heat and cold reservoir for emission-free heating and cooling of the airport building. A test well installed last fall had already delivered promising results.
“The volumes of water that could be pumped and the flow rate of the water give us further confidence that the channel can be used to store heat and cold,” said Guido Hüni, Head of Energy and Decarbonization at Flughafen Zürich AG, in the press release. “Further tests are now needed to determine the extent to which this storage facility can be used.”
A suitable location for the second well is currently being sought. Once installed, it will be connected to the first well for circulation tests. “This next step will allow us to test the efficiency of such a storage facility and, if the results are positive, we can then plan the actual expansion,” explains Hüni.
The airport operator is counting on being able to cover the majority of the heating and cooling requirements for the airport building via the channel. Depending on the yield, the water reservoir could be combined with geothermal probe fields. The estimated cost of the investment is stated in the press release as around CHF 8 million. Flughafen Zürich AG can rely on financial support from the Swiss Federal Office of Energy.