The Swiss canton of Valais says no to an accelerated procedure for the construction of large solar power plants in the Alps. On Sunday, voters rejected a decree from the cantonal government by 53.94%. The voter turnout was 35.72%.
The cantonal parliament approved the urgent law with a large majority in February. An alliance of left-wing parties, the Lower Valais People’s Party and environmental associations took the referendum against it.
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Swiss voters to get their say on Alpine solar parks
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Voters in southern Switzerland are deciding this Sunday whether to accelerate the construction of large solar farms in the mountains.
The Valais decree stipulated that the State Council would now be the first instance responsible for building permits for large photovoltaic systems. The cantonal government would have replaced the cantonal building commission, which normally issues permits outside of the building zones. The government wanted to speed up the process.
In the event of a complaint, the suspensive effect could also have been over-ridden. This means that a project would not automatically be stopped in the event of an objection.
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Government wants to speed up construction of renewable energy plants
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The Swiss government has approved a plan to speed up construction of solar, wind and hydroelectric power stations.
The vote on such large-scale projects in the Alpine landscape received attention beyond the cantonal borders. It was a first test of how voters feel about the federal government’s “Solar Express”.
Due to an impending electricity shortage in winter, the federal government wants to accelerate the construction of large photovoltaic systems during a transition phase until the end of 2025 in the solar plan passed by parliament. The federal government promised generous subsidies for the systems.
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Mountaintop solar farms spark tensions in Switzerland
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Building large solar parks in high-mountain regions is arguably an effective way to produce more power in winter. But it remains highly controversial.
In order to benefit from the funding, at least 10% of the expected production of the entire planned system, or 10 gigawatt hours, must be fed into the grid by the end of 2025. The federal government’s contribution can amount to up to 60% of the total investment costs. So far, eight large photovoltaic projects have been announced in the Alps in Valais.
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