Switzerland generates more electricity from hydropower than in the previous year
Published: Thursday, May 2nd 2024, 10:00
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More electricity is expected to be produced from hydropower in Switzerland due to newly commissioned power plants. According to the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, twelve more large hydropower plants have been in operation since the beginning of 2024 than in the previous year. The maximum possible output from the generator has therefore increased by 26 megawatts compared to 2023.
As of January 1, 2024, 705 hydropower plants with a capacity of more than 300 kilowatts were in operation in Switzerland, as announced by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) on Thursday.
According to the SFOE, around 57.6 percent of domestic electricity was generated using hydropower in 2023. The expected energy production of the power plants included in the hydropower statistics at that time was 37,171 gigawatt hours per year, according to the report.
In 2022, the figure was 37,260 gigawatt hours per year. The total expected expansion amounted to around 67 gigawatt hours per year, of which the Augand power plant in Wimmis BE accounted for the largest share.
Less flowing water in two cantons leads to decline
By regularly updating the expected production of the existing plants, a reduction of 90 gigawatt hours per year was achieved in 2023, the SFOE also reported. The main reason for this was the below-average water circulation in Ticino and Graubünden in recent years.
According to the SFOE, the canton with the highest production expectations is Valais. There, 27.8 percent of electricity is produced from hydropower. Graubünden is in second place with 21.2 percent, followed by Ticino with 9.5 percent and the canton of Bern (9.1 percent).
According to the current Energy Act, the average annual hydropower production should increase to the target value of 37,400 gigawatt hours by 2035. The SFOE also announced that the development will be observed as part of the "Monitoring Energy Strategy 2050".
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