Geothermal drilling operated by Fonroche in Vendenheim-Reichstett on November 13, 2019. -

G. Varela / 20 Minutes

It was to be one of the emblematic projects of geothermal energy in France but the power plant built north of Strasbourg will not see the light of day, condemned Monday by a prefectural decree after a series of earthquakes that have caused commotion in the Alsatian metropolis.

"This project, located in an urbanized area, no longer offers the necessary security guarantees and must therefore be stopped", announced the prefecture in a press release, specifying that an order was taken in this direction Monday.

This decision aims to "avoid as much as possible any new seismic movement", while several "induced" earthquakes, ie linked to human activity, have been recorded since the end of October in the perimeter of the geothermal power plant developed. by the Fonroche company in the municipalities of Reichstett and Vendenheim, to the north of the agglomeration.

Mayor of Reichstett satisfied

"My primary concern is the protection of populations, that obviously prevails over everything else," the prefect of Bas-Rhin, Josiane Chevalier, told AFP.

"According to my services, what happened on Friday is of an absolutely extraordinary and abnormal intensity," she said.

"We can only rejoice at the decision of the State", reacted Georges Schuler, the mayor of Reichstett.

“Geothermal energy can be an interesting source of energy, but in the metropolis, where the population density is very high, we should avoid this kind of projects”.

The elected officials are however wondering about the future of the site, where an electricity production plant has been built and where two boreholes have been drilled up to five kilometers deep.

The project, presented as a French first for high-temperature geothermal energy, was to eventually supply 15,000 to 20,000 homes with electricity, and 26,000 with direct heat.

North of Strasbourg, research began in 2013, then, after the identification of a deposit, a work authorization was granted by the prefecture in April 2016.

100 million euros invested

But the operations were delayed by a first earthquake, of magnitude 3.1, recorded on November 12, 2019, 5 kilometers from the site.

The activity was then suspended several months before tests were authorized in the fall, to determine the causes of this earthquake.

Despite these ups and downs, Fonroche, which has invested nearly 100 million euros in this project, still announced in November its wish to be able to start the plant from 2021.

Friday morning three earthquakes woke the inhabitants of the Strasbourg agglomeration.

Two were recorded at 6:59 am, magnitude 3.5 and 2.6, and another occurred at 11:10 am, magnitude 2.8.

If they caused some material damage near the epicenter, they above all generated very strong reactions from the population and elected officials, scalded by several less intense but significant earthquakes that occurred over the past thirteen months.

The mayors of the municipalities concerned, the opposition groups in Strasbourg and even the president of the metropolis, Pia Imbs, without a label but reputed to be close to environmentalists, have called for a “final stop” of the project.

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