Black-out: “power cuts will come to Switzerland”

ThoseEnergy supply –“The power cuts will come to Switzerland”

After the blackout of the Iberian Peninsula, Stéphane Genoud, professor of energy management at HES-SO Valais, warns against Switzerland’s “unhealthy dependence” in terms of electricity.

Posted: 29.04.2025, 4:58 p.m.

• Switzerland currently imports 30% of its winter electricity from European countries.
• The country is not immune to power cuts.
• The installation of 1000 wind turbines could reduce Swiss energy dependence.

The electricity failure Who plunged Spain and Portugal into the dark for several hours predictable?

No, we still don’t know what has happened precisely.

Several avenues have been mentioned or discarded: overproduction, abnormal temperature, cyber attack, etc. Do you have a hypothesis?

Several large productions have stopped at once and the exchanges between France and Spain were stopped net, collapsing the frequency. But the question is why these productions stopped. I don’t know.

Should Switzerland, ultradentive from abroad for its supply of electricity in winter, prepare for such events in the medium term?

In winter, 30% of the electricity consumed in Switzerland comes from Europe. This dependence is unhealthy and we could very well find ourselves in a situation similar to Spain. If European production is no longer sufficient to cover the whole territory, negotiations will be very difficult to carry out while everyone will concern their own needs. In this sense, agreements with Europe are essential for Switzerland. But we must act very quickly on our side, in particular in terms of alpine solar parks, hydraulic projects or installation of solar panels.

What about nuclear? In its counter-project on the “Stop to Blackout” initiative, the Federal Council wants to ban the ban on building new power stations.

Nuclear is not a solution. It is a question of temporality: a new power plant takes thirty years before producing energy.

So is it a safety net for 2060?

It is a net that would cost billions and that would be useless if we succeed in our energy transition. Nuclear is not profitable energy, it cannot be produced at a reasonable price. You have to accelerate the energy transition at all costs. In Switzerland, we have the resources to make wind, geothermal energy, solar, hydroelectric and biomass. We are in the middle of the ford, but we dare not cross.

For what?

Because the actors of the energy transition are afraid. These projects take time and are difficult to carry out. We must send them clear signals so that we can move forward. We have the solutions to move forward, but everything is a matter of money. In the meantime, renewable energies develop in Europe and the electrical network is undergoing very important fluctuations. The power cuts will come to Switzerland.

According to the Federal Population Protection Office (OFPP), the prolonged electricity failure is one of the main risks involved by Switzerland. The threat is identified, but do we only have the means to guard against it?

Since the war crisis linked to the war in Ukraine, the risk of blackout has been taken seriously by the federal and cantonal authorities. But we see that at the local level, the municipalities did not do all the work. In Haut-Valais, for example, recent bad weather has undermined the communication network, and a woman had to give birth alone, at home. If the electricity cut lasts two or three hours, only the most vulnerable will be affected. But if it extends, as in Spain or Portugal, we will fully depend on our European neighbors.

Your solution?

To start, accelerate the development of photovoltaics. Then concretize the fifteen new hydraulic projects under study and install 1000 wind turbines on Swiss territory which, Today, has 50.

A renewable Switzerland when it imports 70% of its energy and depends on foreign oil, gas and nuclear power, isn’t it paradoxical?

The paradox is the dependence of our country in energy matters. Today, we import part of our gas in the United States and oil from the Middle East while these two areas are unstable. We are exposed to a significant risk when we should internalize our production.

Until it is aimed at energy autarky?

No, autarky does not make sense, but real sovereignty is to be found, with collaboration with our European neighbors.

At the risk that this interdependent system collapses in a domino effect?

Yes, it’s much more risky to be alone.