Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Switzerland to get third back-up power plant

Plant in Monthey
The new contract is with an existing power plant in Monthey, canton Valais. Keystone / Jean-christophe Bott

The Swiss government has signed a contract for a third back-up gas power plant to be operational from September, it said on Tuesday.

A total of 336 megawatts of power from the reserve plants will be available for use next winter, according to a government press releaseExternal link.

The latest contract concerns the existing Thermatel plant in Monthey, canton Valais. It currently supplies 40 megawatts of power, but this will be boosted to 50 megawatts in September. This natural gas-fired power station is under contract until spring 2026, but it will only be operated in emergencies.

Faced with the current energy crisis fuelled by Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, the government has taken various steps to strengthen Switzerland’s power reserves, it says. These include hydropower reserves and reserve power stations.

+ Read about government plans to boost energy supplies

Two more agreements have already been reached for reserve power stations. A 250 MW power station is being built in Birr, canton Aargau, but it is behind schedule and will not be operational until the end of March.

In canton Neuchâtel, the Cornaux plant has been available since February 1. It has a capacity of 36 megawatts and has not yet been used.

Most Read
Swiss Abroad

Most Discussed

News

No Swiss bank in phase with environmental objectives

More

Swiss banks failing environment, says WWF

This content was published on None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.

Read more: Swiss banks failing environment, says WWF
UNRWA provides emergency assistance to just over one million Palestine refugees, or about 75 per cent of all Palestine refugees in Gaza, who lack the financial means to cover their basic food.

More

Lazzarini: no alternative to UNRWA in Gaza

This content was published on The only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency’s work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.

Read more: Lazzarini: no alternative to UNRWA in Gaza

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