- If Alpiq, Axpo and BKW get into difficulties, this could endanger the electricity supply throughout the country.
- The Federal Council therefore wants to be able to help the system-critical electricity companies with up to ten billion francs in the event of liquidity bottlenecks.
- The Council of States dealt with the bill as the first council. After initially two motions to reject it, it was clearly accepted in the end. This was also due to the energetic appearance of the energy minister.
For three hours, Federal Councilor Simonetta Sommaruga listened in her usual calm manner to everything that went wrong with the rescue package. In a lesson on how the electricity market works, several middle-class councilors outlined a whole range of problems, which is why the bill should be rejected and revised.
It was said that he was coming too late or rather too quickly. The documents are poor, and why are only ten billion made available? In addition, those who have liquidity problems have speculated.
Doubts about names and necessity
And anyway: The template has the wrong title. You have to ensure the power supply, not save companies. “The title alone ‘Financial aid to rescue system-critical companies in the electricity industry’ is a problem for me,” says Martin Schmid (FDP / GR).
“In any case, the general question to be asked is whether such a law is needed at all. I’m skeptical here, »says Hansjörg Knecht (SVP/AG). In the three hours, the Federal Councilor’s calm had apparently been badly strained. She finally dissected the allegations a little more emotionally than usual.
Call for a say in Parliament
She responded to contradictions with an urgent warning: “Ladies and gentlemen, we are not in a comfortable phase.” In other words, it’s serious.
However, some councils wanted to revise the bill. In an emergency, the Federal Council can act under emergency law. However, this had been heavily criticized during the pandemic. That’s why Sommaruga was surprised at these new tones and called on the critics to have a say now and to advance the rescue package: “That’s the essence, that you can and should have a say right now.”
Finally clear acceptance in Council
The Federal Councilor could hardly believe the criticism of the wrong title. To the councilors, who were concerned that he was addressing the rescue of the power companies and not the security of the electricity supply, she replied: “I just have to tell you, that’s exactly what we’re doing here.”
Eventually, one of the rejection requests was withdrawn and the other rejected. The Council of States has clearly approved the law on the rescue package for systemically important electricity companies with a few adjustments, with 28 votes to 9 and 6 abstentions. The National Council is to deal with this in the autumn.