Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Visit our project site to gain an up-to-date overview of what we are currently working on.

The Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn, as the owner, has granted ETH Zurich unrestricted permission to use the tunnel.

At the BedrettoLab, we conduct a range of experiments that involve injecting water into the rock through dedicated boreholes. Some experiments use higher pressures to create small fractures in the rock, a process known as stimulation, which helps form or improve a reservoir.

Very small, non-perceptible earthquakes are an inherent part of stimulation experiments in geoenergy and earthquake-physics research. These stimulations create and maintain open fractures, enhancing the permeability of the reservoir, which is an essential condition for efficient operation. The goal of every geothermal project is to increase permeability without causing felt or damaging earthquakes.

In earthquake-physics research, stimulations are also used to activate a fault structure in a controlled setting in order to better understand the processes that lead to earthquakes.

Compared to natural damaging earthquakes, the stimulated rock volume and depth are significantly smaller. As a result, the likelihood of inducing perceptible or damaging earthquakes is extremely low. A dense monitoring system allows us to detect even the smallest seismic events.

Before any experiment begins, potential risks are thoroughly assessed, and the procedure is designed to minimize them. During an experiment, a real-time traffic light system evaluates seismic activity and indicates whether the experiment should continue, be adjusted, or be stopped if a predefined threshold is exceeded.

Our aim at the BedrettoLab is to understand how noticeable or damaging earthquakes can be prevented and not to generate them.

A rock laboratory including the handling of different instruments, heavy equipment and tools naturally offers a less safe working environment than a regular office. Therefore, different measures are taken to protect the technicians and researchers working at BedrettoLab. In addition to mandatory protective clothing, work processes are defined in advance and monitored as far as possible.

Occupational safety is inspected at regular intervals by an external body, as is the condition of the tunnel in terms of changes to the walls and ceilings and potential risk of rock fall.

Before the BedrettoLab was founded, a research consortium was looking for an underground tunnel suitable for conducting geothermal research. Similar experiments had already been performed on smaller scales in university laboratories and at the Grimsel rock laboratory.

The BedrettoLab provides the opportunity to carry out experiments on a significantly larger scale, enabling the verification of previous results in a more realistic setting. Instead of stimulating rock formations over just a few centimetres in a laboratory, or at about 10 meters as at Grimsel, experiments at the BedrettoLab can be conducted over distances of 100 meters or more. Although the stimulated rock volume is still smaller than in a commercial deep geothermal project, it is substantially larger than what has been scientifically investigated so far.

In addition, the overburden of 1,000 to 1,500 meters above the tunnel realistically reproduces the pressure conditions found at depths relevant for geothermal reservoirs. The tunnel also offers excellent logistical advantages: it is easily accessible for researchers and equipment due to its location, its high construction standard, and its direct access to diverse geological formations.

After the BedrettoLab had started its research activities and the whole infrastructure was established, further research domains started coming from external institutions and from ETH Zurich. Have a look at the history page, to learn more about the establishment of the BedrettoLab.

We facilitate visits for the following groups upon request and according to our capacities:

• Media
• Research groups
• Industry related to geothermal / engineering / geosciences
• Interest groups in the field of geothermal energy, renewable energies, geosciences

Please contact Stefanie Zeller (stefanie.zeller@sed.ethz.ch) for further information.

Visits for the public are offered in collaboration with Musuem Sasso San Gottardo. Dates for public tours are published on our homepage. Tickets are available for purchase through Museum Sasso San Gottardo.