The Regulatory Authority Still Warns of “Significant Uncertainties”
Published: Tuesday, Sep 5th 2023, 14:40
Updated At: Friday, Oct 13th 2023, 14:12
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The Swiss Federal Electricity Commission (Elcom) has stated that Switzerland is well prepared for a potential electricity shortage at the end of the next winter. The risk of such a scenario is lower than it was a year ago, but there are still significant uncertainties. Positive developments have been observed since last summer, including more stability in energy markets, reduced dependence on Russian gas, and reduced electricity consumption. However, the markets remain volatile due to the closure of three nuclear power plants in Germany, the uncertain availability of nuclear power plants in France, and the aging of Swiss nuclear power plants. Elcom President Werner Luginbühl warned that there can be no complete assurance of a safe winter, as a particularly cold winter combined with the failure of several domestic and foreign nuclear power plants could lead to a problem. Despite the implementation of measures such as water reserves, emergency generators, and emergency gas power plants, there is still uncertainty. In the long term, Elcom believes that it is desirable for Swiss nuclear power plants to remain operational for at least sixty years, which would give them time to develop renewable energy sources. Whether the nuclear power plants can be kept running for more than sixty years will be decided by the Swiss Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (Ensi).nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
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