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With the Wind Express, wind farms should be able to be built more quickly. But the new law has a limited effect.
For a few weeks now, six new wind turbines have been turning high above Sainte-Croix in the Vaud Jura. It took 25 years to get to that point. The new wind farm is no exception. It takes 20 to 25 years for a wind farm to be built. The reason is the long procedures.
On February 1st, a new law will come into force that is intended to speed up these procedures somewhat: the so-called Wind Express. One of the projects set to benefit from this acceleration is located a few minutes’ drive from Sainte-Croix. 19 wind turbines are to be built on the Montagnes de Buttes in Neuchâtel. The energy companies Service Industriel de Geneve (SIG) and Groupe E have been working on the project since 2008.
“With the Wind Express we gain one to two years on the entire project. “It’s not a revolution, but at least,” says SIG project manager Marc Spitzli on the hills where the wind turbines will be located. The companies would like to start construction next year or the year after.
No push for new projects
The Wind Express only applies to projects that are already well advanced. Specifically, these are facilities of national interest that, like Buttes, already have a legally binding usage plan. In addition, the options for filing an appeal before the Federal Court are restricted.
However, the wind energy association does not expect any miracles from the Wind Express. “The Wind Express ensures that existing projects that have been underway for ten or 15 years can be built more quickly,” says Anita Niederhäuser from the Suisse Eole wind energy association, delighted with the new law. But: “This wind express will not create any new projects,” she says. Energy companies are currently hardly planning any new projects due to the long procedures involved.
Legend:
The wind turbine in Sainte-Croix is the second largest in Switzerland. It was put into operation at the end of 2023.
KEYSTONE/Valentin Flauraud
Across Switzerland, eleven wind projects that are being planned or approved could benefit from the Windexpress. They would have an expected production of 600 GWh. This corresponds to the household consumption of half a million people. The 600 GWh corresponds to around half of the expansion that is to be achieved with the Wind Express.
One thing is clear: new systems are needed. There are plans for such a new wind turbine in Seedorf near Aarberg. However, the project is not yet advanced enough to benefit from the wind express.
Another law in the pipeline
The industry expects another new law to provide a greater boost for new projects. “The acceleration decree that is now in parliament is promising,” says Niederhäuser from the wind energy association. “It could ensure that the planning and approval time is half as long as it is today.”
This law is intended to shorten the procedures for the planning and construction of large hydroelectric, wind and solar power plants. So that it no longer takes 25 years – as in Sainte-Croix – for a wind farm to be built.