Haute-Sorne oversight committee
At the request of the Jura cantonal government, the federal government has set up an oversight committee for the deep geothermal project in Haute-Sorne. The committee’s role is to ensure that good governance principles and quality standards are upheld in all work and procedures relating to the project. The committee is made up of independent members who guide and monitor the project, but do not have any decision-making powers. If the committee sees a problem with the project, it can make a report to the relevant individuals and authorities. Where necessary, it can also serve as a platform for dialogue and mediation among stakeholders, including public authorities, operators and the Monitoring and Information Commission.
Project participants provide the oversight committee with all the information it requires to fulfil its role. The operator, the canton, the Monitoring and Information Commission and the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) actively keep the committee informed so that it can assess the processes and procedures. As part of its work, it may also commission external expert reports. The oversight committee began its work in January 2024. Federal Councillor Albert Rösti appointed Olivier Français, a former member of the Council of States for the canton of Vaud, as chair.
The oversight committee comprises the following members:
Olivier Français, former member of the Council of States for the canton of Vaud; chair
Pauline Godat, member of the Jura Cantonal Parliament; deputy chair
Christian Bréthaut, co-director of the UNESCO Chair in Hydropolitics at the University of Geneva; representative of civil society
Guy Bonvin from the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO); representative of the federal government
