Natural gas is only a short-term solution.

In an interview given in early December to the "Tages-Anzeiger", Christoph Brand, chief executive officer of the Axpo group, warned Switzerland of the serious risk of energy shortages during the winter.

To support his remarks, the director cited the case of 6 November 2024, a day described as a "dark lull", that is to say without sun or wind to feed photovoltaic panels and wind turbines. "While all of Germany's power plants were operating at full capacity and the import lines were saturated, demand was only just met. Imagine if that had happened on a cold winter day: the lights would have gone out," he said.

At a time when the Federal Council appears ready to reopen the door to nuclear power in Switzerland, with its recent counter-proposal aiming to amend the Nuclear Energy Act, the country's energy future is at the center of concerns. But long before any nuclear revival, it is gas that seems to be gathering the majority of support.

Since the beginning of January, we have been following the re-emergence of this energy source in people's minds. Today we are discussing it with Stéphane Maret, director general of FMV.

Do you share Christoph Brand's analysis of the serious risk of future electricity shortages in Switzerland?

Obviously. Although the situation has eased from a cyclical perspective with better availability in terms of production and a less volatile market, the situation has not fundamentally changed in the long term. In Switzerland, the winter production deficit remains both a chronic and structural challenge.

In the future, our country will have to import more electricity from neighboring countries during the winter semester, as revealed by a large study carried out by the AES in 2022 (work updated at the start of the year). According to the scenarios considered, dependence on winter imports will increase, rising from 3 TWh today to 7 or even 9 TWh, which represents between 19% and 22% of winter needs. By comparison, this is equivalent to three to four times the annual production of the Grande Dixence.

It should also be recalled that from 2025, European Union member states will be required to reserve at least 70% of the capacity of their grid infrastructures for internal EU trade. The risk that Switzerland's import and export capacities will be significantly reduced is therefore real.

The Confederation and energy sector actors say : Switzerland is facing a structural winter supply problem.

What should be done to minimize this risk?

To reduce the risk of electricity shortages, it is essential to align with the Confederation's vision regarding the energy transition by 2050 and security of supply. Initiatives such as the Solarexpress, the Windexpress and the large pumped-storage hydroelectric projects are planned to address this still current winter production deficit in electricity.

Each of these three types of renewable energy has a potential of around 2 TWh annually. They represent a short- and medium-term solution, complementary to initiatives aimed at improving energy efficiency and massively accelerating the development of all renewables, as part of the gradual transition away from nuclear power.

Your colleague advocates new gas-fired power plants to avoid any risk of shortage, what is your position on this issue?

The Confederation and energy sector actors say : Switzerland is facing a structural winter supply problem. A crisis could occur, exacerbated by factors such as cold weather, a low filling level of reservoirs, unavailabilities in the French nuclear fleet, or insufficient gas reserves in Europe.

Combined, these elements could produce an electricity shortage and trigger a surge in energy prices. From this perspective, gas-fired power plants constitute short-term insurance but by no means a long-term solution. Natural gas can nevertheless play a crucial role in addressing the energy challenges of the next five years.

In the meantime, renewables must be developed on a massive scale. The legal bases, such as the Solarexpress or the new Electricity Act (Mantelerlass), must be implemented resolutely and rapidly. In this context, certain parameters such as the timelines set out in the Solarexpress must be adapted so that the target of 2 TWh/year of electricity from alpine photovoltaics by 2030, half of which in winter, can be achieved.

To depend partly on gas is also to depend on Europe's goodwill to supply it to us. Shouldn't the issue of storage finally be addressed?

Natural gas represents a form of insurance against the immediate risks of shortages in the coming winters. As for the issue of storage, it is a real challenge. One avenue is currently being explored in Switzerland by players in the gas sector. The first results of exploratory drilling, carried out by Gaznat in 2021 near Oberwald, in Valais, to assess the feasibility of seasonal gas storage in rock caverns, were judged promising.

The project foresees an energy volume of 1.2 TWh. Its realization would favor the development of Power-to-Gas technology in Switzerland. This innovation would eventually allow excess electricity produced in summer by hydroelectric plants, photovoltaics and wind farms to be converted into hydrogen or synthetic gas for winter consumption.

The first results of the exploratory drillings, carried out by Gaznat in 2021 near Oberwald, in Valais, to assess the feasibility of seasonal gas storage in rock caverns, were judged promising.

In the energy mix targeted by Switzerland, rather than betting on gas, shouldn't there be stronger investment in hydrogen?

The vision of a long-term energy mix is defined by the Confederation's Energy Strategy 2050. Emphasizing domestic renewable energies, notably hydropower, solar, wind and biomass, it constitutes a true roadmap to guide the energy transition. The use of natural gas to produce electricity is a solution useful in the very short term but to be banned in the medium term.

At present, hydrogen is mainly used to meet the needs of large industry. However, it could play a very interesting role, even become a pillar of energy supply, thanks to its flexibility as an energy carrier. By converting electricity into chemical energy via Power-to-X technology, hydrogen can be used in all fields of energy production, in industry as well as for heating.

The gas storage project mentioned earlier fully fits into this strategic vision. However, from the Swiss perspective, hydrogen will largely be imported. The hydrogen strategy recently published by the Federal Council must therefore be developed taking into account the entire national energy system.

This article has been automatically translated using AI. If you notice any errors, please don't hesitate to contact us.