‘Less nervous’ than 2022: Costs higher but no power cuts

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“Overall, the situation is much less tense than last year. But uncertainties remain,” says Elcom President Werner Luginbühl (65), summarizing expectations for the upcoming electric winter. In short, there is great hope that the feared power outage has been canceled once again.

This is also confirmed by the experts Blick spoke to: “We are in a better position – indeed, the critical time is the first few months of next year,” explains Christian Schaffner (51) of the ETH Center for Energy Science. Zurich.

“There was always something missing”

Christina Marchand (55) of the University of Applied Sciences Zurich agrees. Energy expert’s statement: “We were shaken by the shock of last year.” Electricity savings plans were put in place, and high electricity savings prices gave the right signals: “There was always shortages, prices went up, people were saved. In some cases, consumption has dropped as much as 20 percent,” says Marchand.

We cannot influence whether the coming winter will be this mild again. But we are also prepared for a tough winter. Gas storage facilities in Europe and reservoirs in Switzerland filled above average, French nuclear power plants reopened to the grid. Emergency power will also be available.

“Nobody Is Prepared”

So what are the uncertainties that can still ruin winter for us? These are not so obvious; The biggest blow will likely be gas shortages: “Gas still plays an important role in Europe’s energy supply,” says Schaffner. For example, restrictions on shipping can cause problems if too little liquid gas arrives in Europe and prices rise. “Sometimes things happen that no one has thought of and therefore no one is prepared for.”

Luginbühl is also trying to calm things down: “Further measures are also available, but will only come when necessary.” But the Elcom President concludes that not everything can be said clearly.

Source :Blick