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4.2.6 SWITZERLAND
Energy policy is in Switzerland subject of the federal institutions, of the cantons
(states), and of the municipalities – each level in the framework of its competence.
But the decisions on the level of the federal institutions have the highest influence
on the future energy supply.
Federal institutions
In 2007 the Federal Council based its energy strategy on four pillars: energy
efficiency, renewable energies, replacement and new construction of large power
stations for electricity production (also nuclear power stations), and external energy
policy.
Following the reactor disaster of Fukushima in 2011 the Federal Council and
Parliament decided on Switzerland’s progressive withdrawal from nuclear electricity
production. This decision, together with further far-reaching changes in the
international energy environment, requires a change of the Swiss energy system. For
this purpose the Federal Council has developed the
Energy Strategy 2050
. This
continues and intensifies the strategic thrust of the
Energy Strategy 2007
with new
objectives. What is basically new is that the existing five nuclear power stations are
to be shut down at the end of their technically safe operating lifetime and not
replaced.
In September 2016, the Parliament approved the first set of measures in the Energy
Strategy 2050
. The Council wishes to significantly develop the existing potential for
energy efficiency and exploit the potential of water power and the new renewable
energies (sun, wind, geothermal, biomass).
The Parliament has already strengthened the development of renewable energies
through an amendment to the Energy Law that came into force at the beginning of
2014.
In a second stage of the
Energy Strategy 2050
the Federal Council wishes to replace
the existing support system by a management system to steer energy supply and
emissions. Goals and measurements needs still to be defined.
A new CO ² -law which is currently in discussion will be crucial for the future gas
demand in Switzerland. In the first draft climate protection and CO ² reduction are
prioritised over questions of economic viability, competitiveness, and social
acceptance.
Cantons
Cantons have their own goals: increasing use of renewables, better isolations of
buildings, and increasing amount of decentralised electricity generating units (on
housetops). These goals should be reached by standards which do not differentiate
between oil and natural gas. Furthermore, these standards do not recognise biogas
as renewable energy. For several cantons the implementation of the standards is
expected in 2018.
Municipalities
Some (bigger) municipalities have very ambitious goals and they focus strongly on
ecology and support minimum energy houses and privilege renewable energies and
district heating based on geothermal energy, waste heat, and wood. On the other
hand municipalities implement incentives for the change from petrol and diesel to
natural gas in the mobility sector.
Outlook
Thus, the current energy policy in Switzerland is not supportive for the gas demand:
gas supply for heating purposes is getting more and more under pressure and also
the industry is urged by high CO ² -taxes to reduce CO ² emissions.
If the CO ² -law which is currently in discussion will be implemented not considering
enough economic viability and competitiveness and if the gas demand in the mobility
sector will not increase the gas demand will be reduced substantially by a quarter of
the current demand until 2050 (according to the study
Energieperspektiven 2050
by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy).