Swiss energy minister: no EU electricity agreement ‘at any price’
According to Energy Minister Albert Rösti, Switzerland does not need an electricity agreement with the EU "at any price".
This content was published on
3 minutes
Keystone-SDA/amva
The Federal Council would not make any major concessions in the overall negotiations with the EU just because of the electricity agreement, the energy minister said in an interview with the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) published on Saturday.
Switzerland is physically part of the European electricity grid and therefore hardly needs to fear inclusion in the so-called 70% rule. From 2025 onwards, EU countries are to reserve 70% of grid capacities for trading among themselves.
More
More
Switzerland to secure gas from Italy in case of energy shortages
This content was published on
Italy and Switzerland signed an agreement on energy supply to protect themselves from possible future gas supply bottlenecks.
“It would be a contribution in favour of a secure supply, but not a guarantee for times of crisis,” Rösti said.
An electricity agreement between Switzerland and the EU would be “realistic” in 2025 at the earliest, Rösti said. “What is certain is that the agreement cannot come into force before 2025, because the political process would have to take place before then.” Despite confidence, Rösti pleaded in the interview for Switzerland to brace itself against an unexpectedly harsh implementation of the 70% rule that excludes Switzerland.
Sun, wind, water: “We have no other choice”
Rösti wants to achieve the expansion of three to five terawatt hours of renewable electricity by a good ten years from now – this is to avoid winter shortages. “The most important thing is that we get out of this situation of a threatening shortage in winter,” says the energy minister. “The only way to do that at the moment is with solar, wind and hydro. We have no other choice.” But that will take until 2030 or 2035.
More
More
No vote for Alpine solar parks: what does it mean for Switzerland?
This content was published on
Voters in canton Valais have rejected the rapid expansion of solar parks on their sunny mountain peaks and pastures. What are the implications?
With regard to opposition to energy construction projects, Rösti said he wanted to remind the opposition to nuclear power plants that the production of renewable electricity also entails disadvantages. “It won’t work without visible intervention in the landscape. The next four or five years are decisive. They will show how great the resistance is.” If it is too great, “the energy strategy will have failed. In that case, I will react and show what other options are available.”
More
More
Nuclear energy is necessary, says head of Swiss water agency
This content was published on
The incoming president of the Swiss Water Management Association (SWMA) maintains that an electricity mix without nuclear power is no longer possible.
However, a discussion about new nuclear power plants is “pointless” today, Rösti said. “I really have no interest at all in starting a debate on nuclear power at the moment. My personal stance on this issue is well known, and it’s also no secret that as a National Councillor I campaigned against the energy strategy.”
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 it 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.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Politics
In Switzerland, New Year brings ‘burka ban’ and pension hikes
Have you heard something about Swiss diplomacy that you’d like us to fact check?
Not all information circulating about Switzerland’s foreign relations is accurate or well understood. Tell us what you'd like us to fact check or clarify.
This content was published on
Swiss households are increasingly turning away from meat. The proportion of households that consume animal products without restrictions has fallen from around 71% in 2022 to around 64%.
Home ownership in Switzerland booms while rentals stagnate
This content was published on
Residential property prices in Switzerland continued their ascent last year, albeit at a slower pace towards the end of the period.
This content was published on
The Swiss army will once again support canton Graubünden in security measures for the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.
Jay-Z paid for my whirlpool, says Swiss musician in plagiarism case
This content was published on
Swiss music pioneer Bruno Spoerri says he has rapper Jay-Z to thank for his hot tub. Jay-Z paid Spoerri CHF30,000 for sampling one of his works without permission.
Human remains found in 1957 plane wreckage in Lake Constance
This content was published on
A team of divers says it has come across human remains during an operation involving the wreckage of the Swissair DC-3 which crashed into Lake Constance in June 1957.
Swiss employers’ association proposes measures against wage dumping
This content was published on
Roland Müller, director of the Swiss Employers' Association, has put forward possible measures to prevent wage dumping in Switzerland with regard to the new EU treaties.
Swiss urged to help the climate by eating more healthily
This content was published on
The Swiss government's nutritional recommendations can make a significant contribution to achieving climate objectives, say NGOs – provided the most environmentally friendly foods are chosen.
Pfister criticises People’s Party calls for Amherd’s resignation
This content was published on
Gerhard Pfister, president of the Centre Party, has criticised the Swiss People's Party's demand for the resignation of the Centre Party's Defence Minister Viola Amherd.
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.
Read more
More
Swiss cautiously satisfied about energy supply outlook
This content was published on
While energy goals for winter 2022-2023 were met, the coming years will require similar efforts to ensure security of supply, officials say.
Energy minister defends strategy amid fears of blackouts
This content was published on
Swiss Energy Minister Simonetta Sommaruga has said that a range of options are being explored to ward off power outages this winter.
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.