Switzerland covers nearly 95% of its energy needs through oil, electricity, natural gas and wood, and the vast majority of this energy must be imported, according to the country's Federal Office for Economic Supply. .
However, it will not have escaped you, gas and oil are starting to be seriously lacking in Europe due to the Ukrainian conflict.
In December 2021, even before the invasion of Moscow, the Swiss government set up a crisis organization focused on the electricity market.
Its skills have since been extended to gas.
Pressed to act, the government announced on Wednesday that it wanted to reduce gas consumption in Switzerland by 15% this winter, following in the footsteps of the EU.
No gas stock in the country
Switzerland has no gas storage facilities on its soil and is entirely dependent on imports.
Up to three quarters of gas deliveries to Switzerland are via Germany.
Switzerland would therefore also be affected by gas shortages in the EU and in particular in Germany.
“If the storage facilities cannot be filled as planned, a shortage situation cannot be ruled out for next winter,” according to the Federal Office of Energy.
On May 18, the government decided to strengthen the gas supply for next winter, requiring the Swiss gas industry to ensure sufficient storage capacity in neighboring countries and to have options for additional gas deliveries.
reserve power plants
On 22 May at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Swiss Ministers for Energy, Simonetta Sommaruga, and for the Economy, Guy Parmelin, also agreed with the German Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck to start negotiations for a " solidarity agreement' on gas transport between Germany and Switzerland.
Discussions are also underway with France and Italy.
Berne is also examining how the establishment of gas storage capacities in Switzerland can be encouraged.
On February 16, Switzerland, which has more than 680 hydroelectric power stations, also decided to set up a hydroelectric reserve from the winter of 2022/2023: it is a question of obliging the operators of certain hydroelectric power stations to keep, against remuneration, a certain quantity of water - and therefore of energy - being able to be made available in case of need.
Save energy
Faced with the specter of an electricity shortage, the government also decided on August 17 to launch negotiations to define reserve power stations that would run on gas or oil.
The Confederation wishes to be able to call on these reserve power stations from the end of next winter.
A nationwide savings campaign will also soon be launched by the government, in order to communicate to the population and businesses simple and quick energy saving measures to implement.
Finally, on August 18, cities, municipalities, cantons and the Confederation signed a charter aimed at accelerating the development of thermal networks, in order to reduce the number of oil and gas heating systems.
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