Should the electricity become scarce at the end of the coming winter, the Federal Council wants to be able to fall back on a hydropower reserve. In the near future, the operators of storage power plants are to make offers for which price they can retain water in their reservoirs for a total of 500 gigawatt hours of electricity. But is there enough water in the below-average lakes for this? Many power plants have already sold the future electricity. Energy Minister Simonetta Sommaruga comments on this.
SRF News: How sure are you that there are enough electricity producers who also offer you this storage power?
Simonetta Sommaruga: I’m very confident. Because it is in everyone’s interest that we have this security for next winter. However, the Federal Council also decided today that if these offers do not come or are too expensive, my department can oblige the providers to create these reserves. It can also dictate prices.
At the same time, the Federal Council appeals to the operators: They should now take responsibility, help and not try to make a profit from this situation.
If you had to commit to holding reserves, the estimated CHF 650 to 750 million should not be enough. Is there a pain threshold?
No, you can’t say that. At the end, the Independent Electricity Commission would say how much money to ask. You have to stick to that.
Everyone should help to actually create these important reserves.
But these companies belong to the municipalities, cantons and cities. Ultimately, it’s about all of us and about the security of the power supply for next winter, and everyone should help to actually create these important reserves.
You also want to generate additional electricity by temporarily having to leave less water for fish and other creatures in rehabilitated hydroelectric power stations. Do we now also need to cut corners when it comes to environmental protection?
Today’s law stipulates that in certain situations you may need more water to produce electricity. Firstly, it is limited to next winter. Second: The minimum regulations for residual water must always be observed. And thirdly: It is a measure that can be used now.
It’s really about security, about preparing our country well for the coming winter
It’s about our security of supply. It doesn’t affect all plants, and for the few that are, it’s justifiable and also compatible with environmental protection.
Did Switzerland give protection interests too much weight compared to interests in electricity production for too long?
It would be wrong to draw that conclusion from this situation. We have a war in Europe, Russia is no longer supplying gas, more than half of the nuclear power plants in France are not connected to the grid. We have an extraordinary situation with price explosions that we have never seen before. That is why the Federal Council has taken several measures for a kind of safety cushion for next winter.
In addition to the measures mentioned above, there are also reserve power plants, i.e. turbines that produce additional electricity when the market no longer closes. And also the possibility that the gas industry will procure additional gas. It’s really about security, about preparing our country well for the coming winter.
Nathalie Christen conducted the interview.