Alpiq CEO: Power supply is the responsibility of the entire population
Published: Thursday, Jan 18th 2024, 11:30
Updated At: Friday, Jan 19th 2024, 00:59
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Alpiq CEO Antje Kanngiesser has appealed to the solidarity of the population with regard to energy projects. "The electricity that is generated is there for all of us in Switzerland," she said in a video interview with the news agency AWP on the fringes of the Electricity Congress in Bern.
For 30 years, there have been no major projects and the ability to accept individual cuts for the common good has been lost, complained the head of one of Switzerland's largest energy companies. Projects are being fought against, there are objections and in some cases "the expectation that others should do something first".
"But energy supply is a broad task for the entire population," says Kanngiesser. The companies would have to launch the projects, and society in turn would have to support them "with full acceptance".
Structural shortage in winter
A potential electricity shortage is no longer an issue for this winter. This is because the storage facilities in Europe are very well filled and the fall was very warm. There is now enough for the last three months, said the Alpiq CEO. The "bet on the weather" has therefore paid off this year.
However, Switzerland has a "structural shortage in winter". The country therefore needs a rapid increase in "winter energy" - i.e. hydropower, wind power, alpine solar plants and storage. "That will help us get through the winter." And the second part is integration into the European electricity market.
Meanwhile, the energy decree, which aims to drive forward the energy transition, is a step in the right direction. Parliament has achieved a very broad consensus with the bill. It is not yet possible to assess whether the measures will be sufficient.
The discussion about possibly lifting the ban on new nuclear power plant construction in Germany could be held in the meantime, she said in response to a corresponding question. However, the debate would not change the security of supply in the next ten to 15 years. "And it distracts from the debate we need to have now." The decisive elements now are winter energy and the expansion of storage. "We will focus on these projects in the coming years."
You can find the full video interview with Antje Kanngiesser at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXvE1NJ-qTA&t=38s
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