Swiss households could face 12% hike in electricity prices in 2024
Rising costs for getting onto the grid are also being partly passed on to consumers.
Keystone / Helmut Fohringer
Electricity prices are set to soar for the second year running in Switzerland as Europe-wide energy troubles continue, the Association of Swiss Electricity Businesses (AES) said on Tuesday.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/dos
The industry group said the 12% estimate was based on the median figure provided by its 135 members, that include the country’s big suppliers. Definitive figures will be published in August.
Under the provisional projections, a four-person household will see a bump of CHF0.03 ($0.03) per kilowatt hour next year, from CHF0.27 to CHF0.30.
Among other factors, the hike takes into account rising energy prices, costs related to maintaining Swiss hydroelectric reserves and backup power stations, and the price of using the electricity grid.
It was already announced in March that the cost for households to connect to the power grid was set to more than double in 2024. The government’s decision to pass on the cost of keeping winter reserves to private households and businesses was also unprecedented.
The AES said on Tuesday that the increases were mainly due to the ongoing energy crisis, which is driving up electricity prices on the wholesale market. Fuel is pricier, while levels in gas reservoirs are historically low, and power plants are seeing more failures and load shedding, it added.
It said the market difficulties are driven by the war in Ukraine as well as by the dry conditions in Europe.
Energy prices reached record levels in August last year. In 2023, Swiss consumer prices climbed by around 27%.
More
More
Swiss retail power prices to soar next year
This content was published on
Swiss households are set to see power bills rise by around 27% in 2023, with wide swings depending on municipality.
Should Switzerland take measures to support its struggling industries?
Industrial policies are back in fashion, not only in the United States but also in the EU. Should Switzerland, where various industries are struggling, draw inspiration from such policies?
Switzerland increasingly a target for people smuggling and trafficking
This content was published on
Switzerland is increasingly being targeted by organized crime. This also applies to commercial people smuggling, the fastest growing criminal market in Europe.
Swiss forests better equipped against storms 25 years after Lothar
This content was published on
Twenty-five years ago, Hurricane Lothar toppled trees like dominoes in Switzerland. Forests today are better prepared to cope with such an exceptional event, say experts.
This content was published on
The Locarno Film Festival is considering moving from the beginning of August to the second half of July for its 80th edition in 2027.
Council of Europe head Alain Berset visits Georgia
This content was published on
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, is visiting Georgia, which has been rocked by a political crisis, from Wednesday.
Swiss politician who shot at Jesus faces criminal proceedings
This content was published on
The Zurich public prosecutor's office has opened criminal proceedings against politician Sanija Ameti. It is investigating whether she disrupted freedom of religion and worship.
Switzerland must be able to control immigration, says head of business federation
This content was published on
Switzerland must be able to control immigration itself if it "exceeds the tolerable limits", says Christoph Mäder, president of Economiesuisse, the Swiss Business Federation.
This content was published on
The film Reinas by Klaudia Reynicke, a Swiss-Peruvian-Spanish co-production, has missed out on an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film.
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.