The Swiss government has given the green light to begin the construction of a temporary reserve power plant due to be operational from February next year.
The executive body signed off on two decisions on Friday to speed up the approval of planning regulations for the eight-turbine plant in Birr, in the north of the country.
The government already signed a contract with the GE Gas Power company earlier this month for the CHF470 million ($480 million) project; Friday’s decision means work can begin almost immediately on preparing the temporary plant, which will be available until spring 2026 as back-up in case of energy emergencies.
The turbines, which can be powered by gas, oil or hydrogen, are meant to supplement Switzerland’s hydropower reserve – also boosted by the government in recent months – and to strengthen energy security for the coming winter.
More
More
Swiss government sets up hydropower reserve in case of need
This content was published on
Switzerland is to set up a hydroelectric reserve at the cost of consumers to insure against possible electricity shortages.
The turbines can produce a total of about 250 megawatts of power, the equivalent of around two-and-a-half times the capacity of the Rheinfelden hydropower plant on the Swiss-German border, the government wrote in a statementExternal link.
In addition, negotiations with other potential suppliers of reserve power plants are still underway. Switzerland already announced in February this year its intention to build reserve power plants to be used “in the event of extraordinary shortages and to be operated in a climate-neutral manner”.
Swiss regulator criticises banks for being lax with mortgages
This content was published on
Switzerland's financial watchdog has condemned a tendency for banks to apply less stringent internal guidelines for granting mortgage loans.
Uber drivers subject to the law on services in Geneva
This content was published on
The Federal Court has ruled against a Geneva-based company, a partner of Uber, which challenged its liability under the law on the hiring of services.
Swiss nuclear power plants are not at risk from flooding
This content was published on
According to an inspection by the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate, the safety-relevant buildings of the Swiss nuclear power plants are not at risk.
Swiss Fairtrade label breaks billion franc barrier in sales
This content was published on
Products with the Fairtrade Max Havelaar label generated sales of more than CHF1 billion in Switzerland for the first time last year.
Leading Swiss energy firm granted credit to avoid cash crisis
This content was published on
The Swiss government has granted Axpo a CHF4 billion credit line to prevent a liquidity crisis for the country's largest energy company.
Swiss prepare for energy shortage ‘extreme scenarios’
This content was published on
Swiss government and cantons want to be prepared for “extreme scenarios” in the face of possible energy shortages this winter, an official says.
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.