As Switzerland's energy challenges mount, many projects are met with opposition. "This situation should prompt us to rethink the balance between energy development and the preservation of the territory," says Michael Frank, director of the AES.
In Switzerland, support for renewable energies is strong, both in polls and in referendums and in public debates. In 2024, the amendment to the Energy Act and the Electricity Supply Act was accepted by nearly 70% of voters and adopted unanimously in all cantons. However, on the ground, the implementation of these projects runs into many obstacles.
Today, of nearly 130 projects in development listed by the Swiss Association of Electricity Companies (AES), most are slowed down or even blocked. A lack of funding? Technical problems? No. The real cause of these delays lies in the procedures, notably appeals and objections, which hinder their progress. Whether for production facilities or power grids, the administrative and legal processes now extend over at least 15 years. That's far too long.
Take the example of Tramelan: this wind farm project was launched 16 years ago with the support of the local community and aims to produce roughly 30 GWh of electricity per year, the equivalent of the consumption of nearly 7,500 households.
Although the authorities and judicial bodies have repeatedly confirmed that the project complies with nature, the environment, the landscape as well as all laws and ordinances, it still has not come to fruition. Indeed, new objections have been added to administrative procedures that were already particularly lengthy, leading to substantial additional costs.
At present, three farmers still refuse to grant the necessary rights of way, despite an authorization confirmed by the Federal Supreme Court.
This first phenomenon, often summed up by the acronym NIMBY ("Not In My BackYard"), reflects a tendency to want to protect one's immediate living environment, often at the expense of a broader perspective. Everyone agrees that the development of renewable energies is important... at least as long as it doesn't happen in front of their own home.
Appeals filed against renewable energy projects show that these oppositions, sometimes ultra-local, can cause recurring blockages and slow down the entire process. These delays and cost overruns compromise not only the economic viability of the projects, but also jeopardize our ability to reach the energy and climate targets approved by the people and set for 2050.
Systematic and principled objections bring nothing. The energy transition is a project that requires speed and collective commitment.
Beyond local oppositions, which are often resolved by involving all stakeholders at an early stage of the project, more and more renewable energy projects are being hindered by principled objections coming from actors outside the regions concerned.
Under the pretext of protecting the environment and the landscape, some associations and other interest groups, sometimes without a direct link to the project, use – and abuse - their right to appeal in a systematic way. Despite the existence of monitoring groups and environmental reports provided for such sites, these opponents refuse upstream discussions, solely in order to later take legal action.
This excessive litigiousness, which diverts legitimate protection tools for the purpose of ideological blocking, delays the implementation of concrete solutions and needlessly complicates the construction of infrastructures essential to our energy transition.
The energy transition is a colossal undertaking on which Switzerland is significantly behind. To guarantee a sustainable future and reach the goals we have set, we must accelerate the construction of solar, wind and hydroelectric installations, as well as the development of networks.
The challenge is to speed up procedures while simplifying them and limiting abusive and ideological objections, but without restricting debate, preventing legitimate appeals or compromising the democratic participation of municipalities and citizens.
Systematic and principled objections bring nothing. The energy transition is a project that requires speed and collective commitment. By adopting an appropriate legal framework and pulling together, we will not only be able to realize our energy and climate ambitions, but also strengthen the security of our supply and meet the challenges already emerging on the horizon.
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