Geothermal Exploration Campaign Launches in North Vaudois, Switzerland
Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland - A large-scale geothermal prospecting campaign, dubbed ”Geothermy,” has begun in the North Vaudois region of Switzerland, encompassing 29 municipalities and nearly 100 square kilometers. The project, spearheaded by the Yom consortium – comprised of Y-CAD, Orllati Real Estate, and natural Malmenergie – aims to map the region’s subsurface resources, including potential geothermal and water reserves.
The first phase of the campaign, running until the end of September, will focus on identifying locations for the installation of 20,000 sensors (geophones).Data acquisition will then commence on October 20th, utilizing vibrating trucks operating between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. for approximately two and a half weeks.
“It is a question of establishing a three-dimensional cartography of the subsoil. It will aim to better know our geothermal resources, but also simply in water,” explained Pierre-Alain Kreutschy, director of Y-CAD, during a press briefing.
While the Yverdon region is historically known for its thermal baths and hot water sources, the precise location of viable geothermal targets remains unknown. “Our goal is to find potential targets,” Kreutschy added.
Currently, the project is focused on data collection, with any potential drilling operations not anticipated before 2028, according to David Polasek of Hydro-Geo Environnement. The Yom consortium will notify residents of the 29 affected municipalities – a population of between 30,000 and 40,000 – regarding the schedule of the vibrating trucks. Polasek assured that the vibrations pose no danger to homes and will cause minimal discomfort, estimated at around five minutes per resident.
The prospecting campaign carries a price tag of 7.6 million Swiss francs, with 60% of the funding provided by the Federal Energy Office and the remainder covered by the consortium companies.
This campaign follows similar geothermal prospecting efforts earlier in 2025 on the Vaud coast and in the Lausanne region, and precedes a planned exploration in the Broye district. the Canton of Vaud estimates that hydrothermal geothermal energy could perhaps meet up to 25% of the canton’s heating needs, with the State council anticipating the development of around 20 geothermal production sites by 2050.
Previous deep borehole explorations in the canton – in Lavey-les-Bains, Montagny-Près-yverdon, and Vinzel – have faced challenges. The Lavey-les-Bains and Montagny-près-Yverdon projects were halted due to insufficient drilling speed, while the Vinzel borehole yielded water that was not hot enough.
(Source: ATS / HKR)