Wallis Says No to Faster Approvals for Solar Power Plants
Published: Sunday, Sep 10th 2023, 14:00
Updated At: Friday, Oct 13th 2023, 14:12
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In the Swiss canton of Valais, a referendum on a proposed solar power project was rejected by 53.94% of voters. The result was a setback for the canton's solar energy initiative. The vote was split along language lines, with French-speaking voters rejecting the proposal by 61%, while the German-speaking voters accepted it with 68%. The referendum was called by a coalition of left-wing parties and environmental groups, who argued that the project would take too little consideration of nature and lacked criteria for which projects should be prioritised. The canton's government had proposed a new law that would have allowed the state council to grant building permits for large photovoltaic installations, instead of the usual cantonal building commission. This would have sped up the process, but the referendum result means that the projects must now go through the usual procedure. The Swiss federal government had promised generous subsidies for the projects, but they must now be completed by the end of 2025 in order to benefit from the funding. The canton of Bern is taking a different approach, working with environmental groups and other stakeholders to create a list of suitable sites for alpine solar parks. The rejection of the solar decree in Valais is a sign that environmental criteria must be taken into account when planning solar installations in the mountains.nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
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