The incoming president of the Swiss Water Management Association (SWMA) is in favour of full liberalisation of the Swiss electricity market. She also maintains that an electricity mix without nuclear power is no longer possible.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/ac
Español
es
La energía nuclear es necesaria, afirma el director de la Agencia Suiza del Agua
“My ideal would be a good electricity mix without nuclear power, but I don’t really believe in that any more,” said Susanne Vincenz-Stauffacher in an interview published on Sunday by the NZZ am Sonntag. The parliamentarian is therefore not closing the door on new nuclear power stations, but only wants “new generation” ones.
However, she continues to believe in the development of hydroelectric power. “The first step is to increase the height of existing dams. To do this, we need to reach an agreement with the environmental organisations so that we don’t hold each other back”.
More
More
How Switzerland is dismantling its first nuclear power station
This content was published on
Switzerland is set to switch off its first nuclear power station. But pressing the “off” button is just the start of an estimated 15-year process.
The parliamentarian, who has been proposed as president of the SWMA following Albert Rösti’s departure to the Federal Council, believes that small nature conservation associations should not have the same weight in appeals as organisations with broad support. Otherwise, a “mini-association” can “throw a spanner in the works”, whereas a solution has been found with the large associations.
Vincenz-Stauffacher also advocates not systematically protecting areas upstream of glaciers, where new hydraulic dams could be built. “Not all areas lend themselves to this in the same way, but there are several where new structures would make sense”.
She also recommends reducing the residual flows of rivers for a limited period of time, if this measure proves necessary for the security of Switzerland’s electricity supply.
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate them into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. You can find them here.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
As a Swiss Abroad, how do you feel about the emergence of more conservative family policies in some US states?
In recent years several US states have adopted more conservative policies on family issues, abortion and education. As a Swiss citizen living there, how do you view this development?
Geneva to host international talks on plastic pollution
This content was published on
A further round of negotiations to reach an international treaty to reduce global plastic pollution will take place in Geneva from August 5-14.
Switzerland extends list of sanctions against Russia
This content was published on
The government is thus adopting the changes decided by the European Union in response to Russia's ongoing military aggression in Ukraine.
Zelthangar plans to produce Spatz tents in Switzerland again
This content was published on
Zelthangar, based in canton Zurich, has purchased the traditional Swiss tent brand Spatz, which is particularly well-known among scouts.
Swiss sign human rights declaration for Women’s Euro 2025
This content was published on
Sports Minister Viola Amherd has signed a human rights declaration for the 2025 European Women's Football Championship in Switzerland.
Swiss parliament wants to expand support for asbestos victims
This content was published on
The expansion of financial support for asbestos victims by the Swiss National Accident Insurance Fund has cleared its first parliamentary hurdle.
Extra month of Swiss pension can be paid out from end of 2026
This content was published on
The 13th monthly pension payment can be paid out from December 2026. However, it has not yet been decided how it will be financed.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.