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For the Swiss electricity industry, cooperation with the EU countries is at risk. She is therefore calling for an electricity agreement.
We write any day in winter. Switzerland is suddenly no longer connected to the European power grid. A nuclear power plant also had to be shut down due to a technical problem.
A disruption with drastic consequences: “We can only compensate for this disruption if we shed customers across the whole of Switzerland. That means power outages for all regions in Switzerland,” says Daniel Amstad, who is responsible for simulations at Swissgrid, the operator of the Swiss high-voltage grid.
concerns of the electricity industry
This case is still fiction. Swissgrid presented this scenario to the media in its simulation center in Aarau. The aim of this event: to warn. There is still enough electricity coming into Switzerland from abroad.
But cooperation with the EU is in bad shape, says Maurice Dierick, Deputy Managing Director of Swissgrid. He is currently concerned about the cooperation with the EU states that the EU is developing its internal electricity market. “This means that there are all sorts of rules, methods and processes that we cannot and are not allowed to work with. This creates a gap between the transmission grid in the EU and that in Switzerland,” explains Dierick. This makes it much more difficult to operate the system stably.
Legend:
High-voltage lines efficiently carry electricity over long distances, here in Airolo (TI).
KEYSTONE / Gaetan Bally
As a result, Switzerland might not be able to obtain as much electricity from abroad in the future as it actually needs. This could become precarious, especially in the winter months, when not enough electricity can be produced in this country for personal use.
Controversial power deal
The solution from the point of view of the Swiss energy industry is an electricity agreement. This was one of the main topics at the exploratory talks between Switzerland and the EU on Friday.
Support comes from the SP, among others. Aargau National Councilor Gabriela Suter is convinced that such an agreement is needed because security of supply is central to Switzerland.
Resistance comes from the SVP. Solothurn’s National Councilor Christian Imark is bothered by the fact that Switzerland would move closer to the EU with the electricity agreement. A pure electricity agreement brings advantages for both sides. “But it will be linked to a framework agreement and thus with great disadvantages for Switzerland,” says Imark.
Other parties also express reservations. Because the EU has so far also required that the Swiss electricity market should be completely opened up. Households and SMEs should be able to choose their electricity provider freely. A demand that currently has no political chance.
Technical contracts instead of electricity agreements?
Politicians are therefore proposing technical contracts between energy companies as a substitute for an electricity agreement. Stefan Dörig is skeptical. He was once responsible for Switzerland in Brussels for the negotiations on an electricity agreement and says: “Technical contracts are contracts between transmission system operators. There are no state treaties.” This means that there is no basis for cooperation between Switzerland and the EU.
How Switzerland will be supplied with electricity in the future is not solved with these technical contracts. So the Federal Council cannot avoid reaching an agreement with the EU on the subject of electricity. The next talks between State Secretary Livia Leu and Juraj Nociar, her negotiating partner in the EU Commission, are planned for February.