The SUFRAGE project was inaugurated in Geneva. Five partners from France and Switzerland take part, and the aim is to speed up geothermal development on both sides of the border. The undertaking sits within the Interreg France-Switzerland programme and has a budget of CHF 2.4 million, around USD 2.8 million. Work is scheduled to continue up to the end of 2028.
Two organisations lead the work: Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Énergie Environnement (AURA-EE) and Géothermie-Suisse. The French partners are the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté energy cluster and Syane, while Hydro-Géo Environnement and GEOTEST join from Switzerland.
Where the money comes from
The project is co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund, within the Interreg France-Switzerland framework. It also draws on support from Interreg funds of the Swiss Confederation, the cantons of Geneva, Bern and Vaud, as well as the Geneva Industrial Services (SIG).
As ThinkGeoEnergy points out, the idea is to use the different but complementary strengths of both countries. Switzerland has established expertise in drilling for ground-source probes, while France has extensive experience with groundwater and deep geothermal energy. SUFRAGE is to enable the exchange of knowledge, skills, good practices and tools, instead of each market developing separately.
Four work areas and expected results
The work is divided into four parts. The first covers consortium coordination and visual and digital communication. The second concerns better recognition of the subsurface: 2D and 3D mapping of the French part of the Geneva area, updating the geological and hydrogeological model of the Geneva basin, and creating registers of aquifer potential on the French side, modelled on Swiss methods.
The third part deals with empowering stakeholders: analysing regulatory, economic, technical and certification barriers, organising workshops, webinars and site visits, helping companies obtain qualifications and build cross-border partnerships, and building a digital platform for monitoring installations. The fourth part covers informing and mobilising the sector, project owners and municipalities: cross-border events and webinars, a survey of municipalities, awareness workshops and recommendations on public consultation.
The project is expected to deliver better subsurface knowledge for the French Geneva area, a guide to shallow geothermal regulation and economics in both countries, a monitoring platform for shallow installations, a professional network that makes it easier to deliver projects across the border, and materials and events promoting geothermal energy.