He respects the view that demands more state control and less market economy. “However, this will only work if Switzerland produces enough electricity to meet domestic demand,” says Kuhn. But since Switzerland produces too much electricity in summer and too little electricity in winter, it is dependent on cross-border electricity trade.
Kuhn is therefore convinced: “Trading activities are indispensable for an electricity producer like Axpo.” Even if this entails risks. The demands for a state monopoly and low prices seem “opportunistically” motivated. In years of low prices not a single major consumer complained, today they wanted electricity below market value at production cost.
Kuhn rejects an opening of the basic service and a price cap. “If companies that have benefited from low prices for years, return to basic services, this leads to price increases for small consumers.” A price cap reduces the incentive to save electricity and would shift the problem from consumers to suppliers. In the long run, politicians also have to decide whether the cantons are the right shareholders for Axpo.
(SDA)