Rösti emphasizes importance of French gas supplies in Paris
Published: Friday, Nov 3rd 2023, 16:10
Updated At: Saturday, Nov 4th 2023, 00:54
Back to Live Feed
At a meeting with his French counterpart Agnès Pannier-Runacher in Paris on Friday, Energy Minister Albert Rösti emphasized the importance of the French gas market for Switzerland. For her part, Pannier-Runacher confirmed that Switzerland should not experience any capacity restrictions in cross-border trade.
The close integration of electricity trading between Switzerland and the EU countries is necessary and undisputed, said Pannier-Runacher after the meeting with Rösti, according to a press release. She assured her counterpart that capacities in cross-border trade with Switzerland should not be restricted.
This concerns the so-called 70 percent rule. This states that EU member states must make at least 70% of the capacity of their grid elements available for trade between EU member states by 2025. The grid operator Swissgrid expects this to result in a "massive increase in unplanned electricity flows through Switzerland" and at the same time an erosion of import capability.
According to the press release, the head of the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) reminded his counterpart that Switzerland and France are closely intertwined in the gas sector. For example, some French border regions are supplied from Switzerland. And some of the gas supplies from France to Germany and Italy also pass through Switzerland.
Rösti also emphasized that Switzerland wants to maintain close relations with its neighbouring countries in the energy sector. Switzerland is closely integrated into the European electricity grid and also contributes to its stability and flexibility with its hydropower plants. Pannier-Runacher, for her part, was pleased that Switzerland was committed to the European electricity market.
©Keystone/SDA
English 
German 
French 
Spanish 
Arabic