Expansion of hydropower: power companies warn bourgeois sites

The expansion of renewable energies should be accelerated. But the corresponding law threatens to fail – because the Council of States blocks every compromise to hydropower. Now the power industry is going on the offensive.

Council of States Beat Rieder, influential President of the Environment and Energy Commission (Urek), does not deviate a bit from his line. « We don’t want a placebo law, » says the Valais: « My line is the only correct one for the implementation of the Electricity Act. » He wanted to realize the 16 projects of the round table and « especially the three projects Gorner, Trift and Grimsel ». Therefore, one must delete the association’s legal right to the projects and restrict ecological replacement measures. He convinced the majority of the energy commission – in favor of a safe power supply and « for the energy companies Alpiq and KWO », as he says. They plan the three largest projects.

What Rieder is silent: Alpiq and KWO vehemently fight his positions. They lobby with the entire industry against the attitude of the Valais center politician, which could bring down the acceleration decree to the electricity law. The situation is such that the Stromer make their criticism public shortly before the decisive juni session.

Greens and SVP threaten the referendum

« It is central to us that the decree remains a majority, » emphasizes the Association of Swiss Electricity Companies (VSE). Alpiq, the country’s second largest electricity producer, says that he is striving to « compromise that survive a referendum ». « In the end, a referendum would only leave losers, » writes the KWO. And the BKW, 50 percent owner of the KWO, fears « a total crash of the template » if, in addition to opponents of wind power, environmental protection organizations also take the referendum: « We want to avoid a fight with two open flanks. » In addition to the Greens, threatens So far, the SVP with the referendum. Although it supports the expansion of hydropower, but opposes against wind farms and generally relies on atomic energy.

There are differences between the national and the Council of States on two questions. Firstly, the association complaint that Rieder wants to abolish the hydropower projects anchored in the electricity law – which all important industry representatives consider counterproductive. « We reject a complete cancellation, » says the spokeswoman for the umbrella organization of the economy for renewable energy and energy efficiency « Aeesuisse »: « We are committed to the compromise of the National Council. » This wants to allow symptoms if they are submitted together by three legitimate organizations. The KWO, which, as the Initian of the Trift and Grimsel projects, has decades of experience in dealing with complaints, also advocates the triple rule: This is « a balanced procedure that enables the acceptance among the population and environmental associations » and thus the implementation of the 16 projects. One is confident that they can find a mutually acceptable solution with all stakeholders in the dialogue to Trift and Grimsel without further tightening the laws, ”writes the BKW.

Hard posture ensures shake of the head

Second, Rieder’s commission wants to restrict, make the ecological replacement measures for the environmental damage of the hydropower plants, make it more non -binding and postpone them. « Environmental compensation measures are part of every project and we do it as best as possible, » writes Alpiq: « You are a matter of course for us. » The VSE recommends « to respond to the concerns of the environmental protection organizations and to maintain the existing legal provisions as a compromise ».

According to VSE, the industry has agreed on a common attitude for the new, additional compensation measures: In the future, they must be defined and planned at the start of construction, but not necessarily implemented. Alpiq and BKW confirm that they support this minority proposal; Environmental associations are ready to talk.

Nevertheless, the councils insist on their position – which ensures shake of the head. Beat Rieder does not want to comment on criticism of his approach. Representatives of the electricity groups criticize that MPs from mountain and atomic cantons have been overrun in the Energy Commission of the Standard and accuse them of “avenue” for ideological reasons. The Graubünden SP National Councilor Jon Pult, in turn, suspects a strategic game of the SVP. This wanted to « make accelerator releases in front of the people under the pretext of the community autonomy in order to improve the starting point for the construction of new nuclear power plants ».

Crash of the template is already threatened in parliament

If the Council of States continues to switch, the template could fail in the final vote in the National Council. Pult warns of a « gross state -political foul » if the Council of States actually wants to abolish the law of complaints despite the different promises in the voting book on the electricity law: « That would be a blatant break that should be rejected in the final vote. » The electricity industry is alerted that an unholy alliance of SVP, SP and the Greens could sink the template in the coming weeks. « A failure in the final vote would be a bitter setback to achieve the energy and climate goals, » writes the VSE: « It would lead to a tightening of the blockages already available today. »