HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0421.052 2012-2014 Council Testimony CO 4TY (CLERK
From: John C Stickler <jstick @ix.netcom.com>
20I3 SEP 17 8: ' r)
Sent: Monday, September 16, 2013 5:04 PM
To: counciltestimony @co.hawaii.HI.us
Subject: Bill 129
This is an excerpt of an article which will appear in Hawaii Business in November.
Shakeup in Basel
Although Markus Haering's geothermal energy project was in part funded by the Swiss government, he
nevertheless ended up under arrest when his test well triggered a roiling series of earthquakes beneath Basel
in 2006.
The resulting 2,000 damage claims totaled $9 million.
It seemed like a good idea at the time: inject cold water into hot rock formations three miles beneath
the city, bring the steam thus formed back up to run turbines and generate power. As the first to try this new
technology, the project held the interest of geothermal supporters around the world, including the U.S.
Department of Energy.
Most of the 1,000 quakes were too weak to be felt at the surface, but 30 of them were strong enough
to crack walls and cause other damage, the largest reaching 3.4 on the Richter scale. To face jail time (five
years) former oil man Haering would have had to be convicted of intentionally causing the damage.
Fortunately, no malice was found and he was acquitted of the charges. GeoPower Basel, the parent company,
settled all the claims.
Expressing the disappointment of the renewable energy community, Nicholas Deichmann of the Swiss
Seismological Service told the New York Times, "As for Basel, it is clear that this project is buried." But he held
out hope that the technology could still be applied in less populated areas. It is. Called enhanced or advanced
geothermal exploration, it's a form of hydraulic "fracking" and is currently being tested, among other
locations, in Oregon.
1409 1/4 No. Catalina Street
Los Angeles, CA 90027
323 -522--6174
Comm. N 9' .52-
Ref. To:
1 Ref. Date 007 U 2 204