Making Closed-Loop Deep Geothermal an Infrastructure Asset for Swiss Heat.
Scalable Multiple-Leg AGS Optimal Design for Swiss Kick-Starter Installation.
Following several months of integrated technical, geological, and economic analysis, a consortium comprising SwissDGS, EAPOSYS, Well Engineering Partners, and Prof. Pierre Perrochet (Université de Neuchâtel) has completed an 80-page assessment demonstrating how closed-loop Advanced Geothermal Systems (AGS) can already deliver reliable baseload heat for Swiss district heating networks (DHN).
The study shows that, through system engineering and conservative design assumptions, geological uncertainty can be largely shifted from an exploration risk to a manageable engineering variable, positioning AGS as a viable long-lived heat infrastructure solution.
✅ Market
More than 700 addressable Swiss heat demand clusters (3–20 GWh/y each), as identified in a SIG study (Loïc Quiquerez, 2020).
🛠️ Technology
2-leg AGS are deployable today, using proven drilling & completion technologies, engineered for risk-minimized, predictable performance.
♨️ Kick-starter scale
Realistically sized for minimized technological risk: ~5 km depth, ~1–2 km lateral length → ~2 MWth, with robust thermosiphon self-circulation enabling decades of continuous baseload operation at very low OPEX.
♻️ Economics (infrastructure lens)
High upfront CAPEX by design (~16–23 M€/MWth), yet affordable when evaluated as a 30–60+ year infrastructure asset under institutional WACC.
📊 Cost & value of heat
~250 €/MWhth (5% WACC, 30y, current drilling cost, ~5’500 h/y baseload supply assumed); <70 €/MWhth under low-WACC, long-lifetime infrastructure scenarios, same baseload supply and reduced drilling cost curves.
Beyond LCOH: as a long-life, underground-protected infrastructure asset AGS provides long-term, non-volatile heat pricing, largely insulated from fuel and geopolitical shocks, delivering autonomy, reliability and security of energy supply.
📉 From affordable to competitive
Multi-leg scalability and drilling learning curves (→ ~1’000–2’000 €/m) materially compress LCOH, shifting AGS from infrastructure-affordable to fully competitive heat.
The authors acknowledge the financial support of the SIG Fonds Vitale Innovation, which enabled the completion of this milestone study
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