Construction work in Birr AG is ongoing. A mobile back-up gas-fired power station will soon be on the General Electric site, which can be used when electricity becomes scarce in the winter. At the beginning of September, the federal government signed the contract for the emergency power station with eight gas turbines.
The Federal Council has now settled the details for the operation of these and any other reserve power stations. Environment Minister Simonetta Sommaruga (62) presented the corresponding regulation on Wednesday. This has not yet been established. Cantons, associations and other stakeholders have one month to respond to the proposed regulations. According to the Federal Council’s plan, the regulation should enter into force by mid-February 2023 at the latest. Then the backup power station in Birr should be ready for emergencies.
In the ordinance, the Federal Council also regulates details about the already closed hydropower reserve and about the use of emergency power generators. According to the cabinet, this will be limited to the end of 2026 and replaced as soon as possible by a regulation at legislative level.
Tenders for additional emergency centers
According to the federal government’s target, the reserve power stations and emergency generators must be able to generate a combined capacity of 1,000 megawatts. The Birr power plant, which is already under construction, will contribute 250 megawatts and the emergency generators are expected to add another 250 to 300 megawatts. To secure the remaining 500 megawatts, the federal government plans to hold tenders for further reserve power plants next year.
Should the need arise, the federal government could also force owners of suitable power plants to supply electricity for emergencies. In order to be able to operate the systems, the Federal Council wants to temporarily relax the regulations on noise protection and air pollution control.
Electricity is getting more expensive
The costs for the emergency power stations are borne by the electricity consumers. The federal government expects customers to incur additional costs averaging 1.4 cents per kilowatt hour from 2024 to 2026. For an average household, this means paying about 40 francs more per year for electricity.
The federal government estimates that the costs for the backup power stations and emergency generators for the next four winters will total about CHF 580 million. Not included are the costs that would arise if the power stations were actually put into operation. In the case of the hydropower reserve, the cost for the same period is estimated at about 2.2 billion Swiss francs. (lha)
Source:Blick
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