This week marked the successful conclusion of the second hot water injection of the BEACH project, bringing a productive and successful year for the BedrettoLab team to a close.
Collaboration with UZH: New Fundamental Physics Laboratory at the BedrettoLab
Björn Penning is a particle physics professor at the University of Zurich (UZH) leading a new research initiative to establish a fundamental physics laboratory at ETH’s BedrettoLab.
To study how earthquakes initiate, propagate and stop, a new side tunnel has been built at the BedrettoLab at ETH Zurich. It serves as an observation centre for a fault and is equipped with numerous sensors and instruments, a facility that is unique in the world.
The first longer-term injection experiment of the BEACH project was carried out in June 2025. This initial cold-water injection serves as a baseline test and is essential for later assessing how suitable crystalline rock is as a medium for heat storage.
The BEACH (Bedretto Energy Storage and Circulation of Geothermal Energy) pilot and demonstration project is investigating the feasibility of heat storage in crystalline bedrock, i.e. granite, for the first time. An initial injection test lasting several days began this week.
In September 2023, construction work began on a new side tunnel as part of the FEAR project. This tunnel runs parallel to a natural fault zone, which will be examined at close range to better understand how earthquakes evolve and stop.
In cooperation with the Museum Sasso San Gottardo, ETH Zurich will once again offer public guided tours at BedrettoLab starting in summer 2025. The tours will take place on five dates and will be held in Italian and German.
Final construction phase of the new side tunnel has begun
The final construction phase of the new side tunnel has recently started. About 60 meters still need to be built using drill-and-blast excavation to complete the 120-meter-long tunnel. The side tunnel is expected to be completed in the fall.
Successful injection experiment at the new Earthquake Physics Testbed of the BedrettoLab
A three week long injection experiment at the new Earthquake Physics Testbed of the BedrettoLab was successfully completed in November and December 2024. The goal was to characterise how the target fault structure of the FEAR (Fault Activation and Earthquake Rupture) project responds to high-pressure water injection. The results will serve as a baseline for a series of experiments planned in the coming two years, which are aimed at understanding fault zone deformation processes.
