The winter makes itself felt on the electricity bills: The light is already switched on in the late afternoon, the television is on for long film evenings. “In addition to the pandemic, a power shortage is the greatest threat to the supply of Switzerland,” said Economy Minister Guy Parmelin (61) recently in a video message.
A lot has to go wrong at the same time for longer blackouts to actually occur in Switzerland. But one thing is clear: It is no longer a matter of course that enough electricity is available everywhere and at all times.
Electricity supplier Alpiq also has these concerns, especially during the short winter months. The hydropower plants do not get going when there is snow and ice, the important electricity supplier, water, comes to a standstill. A new reservoir in Zermatt is supposed to counteract this. Alpiq confirmed to the «Handelszeitung»: A corresponding project is being planned with the power plant operator Grande Dixence in cooperation with the municipality of Zermatt VS. The new energy source is to produce summer electricity, which is exported at a high price if there is a surplus.
Deliver in summer, import in winter
Group manager Antje Kanngiesser (47) already advertised the reservoir at an event in Zermatt. The melting of the glaciers is leading to the creation of a natural lake at the Gorner Glacier, said Kanngiesser. Alpiq now wants to benefit from the melt: If a dam was built for a reservoir near this lake, there would be a storage potential of 640 gigawatt hours of electricity. This energy could supply 150,000 households with electricity.
The new reservoir is an interesting option to combat the major problem of the Swiss electricity supply. There is a shortage in winter, and Switzerland regularly imports electricity from abroad. In summer, on the other hand, excess electricity from Swiss hydropower is sold at a high price. And that is exactly the advantage of the reservoir in Zermatt: The summer months fill the coffers for the cold and expensive winter months.
E-cars need electricity
The fact that electricity is becoming scarce is also related to the nuclear phase-out. The year-round power plants will be eliminated in the future. But the energy is urgently needed because climate-friendly alternatives, such as e-cars or e-bikes, rely on electricity. (knr)