29-07-09 A Swiss gas trading company has received permission to drill for gas in Lake Geneva, raising the prospect of derricks appearing at the foot of the Alps.
Local authorities in the village of Noville, on the south-eastern edge of the lake, gave the company, Petrosvibri, the final go ahead to erect a derrick and search for gas in the autumn.

The SFR 20 mm project (EUR 13.1 mm, $ 18.1 mm) will allow a 61-metre high derrick in Noville to drill up to 3 km beneath the lake.
The original project had sparked strong objections from environmental groups, but the final planning opposition was dropped in June.