On Thursday, after the completion of the maintenance work, Russian gas should again flow through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany. But whether Russia will resume these deliveries is uncertain. One thing is clear: a complete gas supply stop by Russia would have far-reaching consequences for the whole of Europe, including Switzerland.
Energy Minister Simonetta Sommaruga is therefore currently traveling in Europe and meeting with ministers.
SRF News: Would you still say that nobody in Switzerland has to freeze in winter because there is not enough gas?
Simonetta Sommaruga: We have a war in Europe, we have a global energy crisis. The uncertainties are enormous. That’s why I’ve had a lot of talks with European colleagues in Berlin, where I’m at the moment. We do everything to ensure that we can protect ourselves well. We are also dependent on gas, so we try to coordinate. But the uncertainty remains, and we’ll probably have to live with that for a while. Because this energy crisis will not be over after next winter either.
This energy crisis will not be over after next winter either.
The energy industry calls for solidarity agreements with neighboring countries. They’ve been in negotiations for weeks. Why is it so difficult to get firm commitments?
A solidarity agreement with Germany was also desired by Germany itself. But that doesn’t happen from one day to the next. And one should have no illusions either: A solidarity agreement is really only for the very last emergency. A lot has to be done before then. We would first have to allocate gas before such an agreement would even take effect.
Legend:
Sommaruga in Prague last week in talks with the Czech Environment Minister.
key stone
You are now in Berlin, last week you were in Prague. Your meetings are not only about energy policy, but also about climate policy. Is this really the right moment for this?
It is important that we, together with all countries, look at what we can do to overcome the climate crisis and the energy crisis at the same time. Because there is a connection: If we expand domestic energies, we can do something to ensure a secure supply. And at the same time we can do something for the climate.
Others say the focus on renewable energy got us here in the first place. Climate policy will have to wait. What do you say?
It’s about securing our energy supply. And those who have resisted the expansion of domestic energies in recent years should now actually see what this massive dependency means. In Switzerland, 60 percent of its final energy consumption is oil or gas, so we are completely dependent on other countries. And we pay a high price for it.
The expansion of domestic renewable energies creates independence, security of supply and at the same time serves the climate.
Therefore there is only one answer: the expansion of domestic renewable energies. This creates independence, security of supply and at the same time serves the climate. But now we have to move forward and everyone has to pull together. We don’t have time to wait any longer and delay.
The day after tomorrow we will know whether Russia will again be supplying gas to Germany. What are you expecting?
We have been working with different scenarios for a long time. And of course, stopping Russian gas is one of the worst-case scenarios, not just for Switzerland but for all of Europe. That is why it is so important that we are in close contact. We will only be able to tackle this issue together with Europe. That is central to us.
Eliane Leiser conducted the interview.