Swiss pursue home-grown energy panacea

Having dodged most of the fuel-driven surge in inflation plaguing its neighbours, Switzerland is moving ahead with plans to boost its energy security and lock in tame power prices - but only reluctantly.

Switzerland's focus on hydropower, which Energy Minister Simonetta Sommaruga calls "the backbone" of its electricity production, has helped shelter the country compared with others from soaring oil and gas costs, but it is far from immune, Reuters reported on October 6.

Sommaruga believes the Swiss have been woken up to a need to wean themselves off fossil fuels by the European power crisis since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and by the risk of energy rationing in a worst-case scenario this winter.

She wants to achieve greater energy security by tapping the Alpine confederation's unique geography to develop solar power and expand hydropower -- and she is trying to drag along local interests worried about the landscape and the ecological impact.

A successful pivot to a clean, independent energy supply, which the government is pursuing under its "Energy Strategy 2050", promises to underpin Switzerland's position as a high-end economy at the heart of Europe with a safe-haven currency.

"If we can use solar power and hydropower together, this I think is really the 'dream team' of Swiss energy production," Sommaruga told Reuters in an interview.

The "if" is significant: Implementing change is not easy as Switzerland's system of direct democracy means projects can be blocked at a local level. It has taken years just to get approval to raise the wall of one existing dam, for example.

Last week, Sommaruga achieved some success. Parliament passed legislation on the compulsory construction of solar panels on new buildings. But it was so full of caveats that Sommaruga expects about 70% of buildings will be exempt.

The legislation also facilitates the approval of large solar projects in the mountains, which can qualify for state funding, though it is up to the cantons to approve them.