Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Swiss reserve power plant to be operational by February

General Electric
General Electric has been comissioned to construct the reserve power plant. © Keystone / Urs Flueeler

A new 250-megawatt power plant in northern Switzerland will be functional on February 15, its operator General Electric (GE) confirmed on Monday.

The reserve plant was ordered by the government in September in response to potential power shortages this winter. It will have eight turbines fitted out to operate with gas, oil or hydrogen.

More
Una mano gira la rotella del termostato

More

Switzerland braces for winter energy crunch

This content was published on Explainer: why is there a risk of an energy shortage this winter? What is Switzerland doing to reduce gas and electricity consumption?

Read more: Switzerland braces for winter energy crunch

The temporary back-up facility, costing CHF460 million ($485 million), is slated to remain in place in Birr until 2026. Once operational, it will generate around a quarter of the energy provided by the Leibstadt nuclear power plant.

Like many European countries, Switzerland is facing the prospect of power shortages, primarily as a result of Russia restricting gas imports following its invasion of Ukraine.

The first gas turbines have already been delivered to the Birr plant and will be connected next month in readiness for testing, GE said.

The government has toned down environmental and noise restrictions for the plant as it is deemed of vital importance to energy security.

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

films

More

Swiss films made their mark abroad in 2024

This content was published on Several Swiss films exceeded the 100,000 admissions mark worldwide in 2024 and received widespread praise at international film festivals.

Read more: Swiss films made their mark abroad in 2024

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

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.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR