by Sommaruga (left) during the opening of a water power plant at Nant de Drance in the Swiss mountains last month. © Keystone/Laurent Gillieron Energy Minister Simonetta Sommaruga has warned of possible shortages of natural gas in Switzerland during the winter months. She said the government prepared made plans to prevent energy blackouts due to a drop in Russian gas imports in the context of war in Ukraine. But it was impossible to guarantee sufficient supplies for the about Swiss 300,000 households with gas heating systems. “The situation is unpredictable. […] Switzerland is not an island,” she said in an interview with the SonntagsZeitung newspaper. Sommaruga was referring to Switzerland’s dependency of gas import from neighbouring Germany. She added that in a
Topics:
Swissinfo considers the following as important: 3) Swiss Markets and News, 3.) Swissinfo Business and Economy, Business, Featured, newsletter
This could be interesting, too:
Vibhu Vikramaditya writes Navigating the Slippery Slope: How Hoover’s Interventions Paved the Way for the Great Depression
Ryan McMaken writes Frédéric Bastiat Was a Radical Opponent of War and Militarism
Douglas French writes Millennials: In Costco We Trust
Vasil Georgiev writes Luftfahrtindustrie: Rückblick auf 2023 und Prognose für 2024
Sommaruga (left) during the opening of a water power plant at Nant de Drance in the Swiss mountains last month. © Keystone/Laurent Gillieron
Energy Minister Simonetta Sommaruga has warned of possible shortages of natural gas in Switzerland during the winter months.
She said the government prepared made plans to prevent energy blackouts due to a drop in Russian gas imports in the context of war in Ukraine. But it was impossible to guarantee sufficient supplies for the about Swiss 300,000 households with gas heating systems.
“The situation is unpredictable. […] Switzerland is not an island,” she said in an interview with the SonntagsZeitung newspaper. Sommaruga was referring to Switzerland’s dependency of gas import from neighbouring Germany.
She added that in a worst-case scenario, the government would impose restrictions for the use of gas, notably for the industry. Private households were not the main focus of potential cutbacks.
Switzerland is in better position when it comes to domestic energy production, notably with hydro-energy, according to Sommaruga.
She urged critics of the government’s energy policy in parliament to drop their opposition against plans to push for renewable energy, including solar and wind power.
Sommaruga’s warning is the latest in a series of warnings and comes in the wake of the government’s announcement last week that it might resort to gas rationing if other measures were insufficient.
You Might Also Like
Traders with Swiss links continue to buy and sell Russian oil
2022-06-28
Around 20 traders have reportedly increased their shipments of Russian oil since the war in Ukraine broke out. A third of these players have strong connections to Geneva, according to the newspaper Le Matin Dimanche.
SWISS plans more flight cancellations into autumn
2022-06-27
Additional cancellations of SWISS flights are “unavoidable” because of staff shortages, a company spokesperson told the Keystone-SDA news agency on Sunday.
Alpine rail tunnel and suburban train services to get boost
2022-06-24
The government has presented plans for an upgrade of the country’s railway network, including an additional Alpine tunnel in western Switzerland. About CHF720 million ($745 million) have been set aside to upgrade the Lötschberg base tunnel and other regional projects near Zürich and Geneva in the next decade.
Switzerland to ease exchange of Ukrainian currency in line with EU
2022-06-23
Refugees with a special legal status will be able to exchange a limited amount of Ukranian banknotes for Swiss francs. The Swiss government on Wednesday announced that adults with a protection S status may exchange one amount of up to 10,000 hryvnia – the equivalent of CHF300 ($310.50) at selected branches of the two main Swiss banks, UBS and Credit Suisse.
Complicity in crimes against humanity: court upholds charge against Lafarge
2022-05-21
A Paris appeals court has confirmed that the cement firm Lafarge must face charges of complicity in crimes against humanity over alleged payoffs to Islamic State group and other jihadist groups during Syria’s civil war. Lafarge is now part of the Swiss Holcim cement group, which says it will appeal the decision.
Ukraine war no threat to Swiss banks, says financial watchdog
2022-04-07
Switzerland’s financial market supervisor FINMA says the Russian invasion of Ukraine isn’t a wide-scale threat to Swiss financial firms’ business ties to Russia.
Switzerland backs European plans for joint gas storage
2022-04-02
Switzerland has signed a declaration along with six other European states in favour of pooling gas storage facilities.
Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands signed the declarationExternal link on Wednesday, pledging to work towards coordinating storage efforts on a regional level.
What the Ukraine war means for Switzerland’s energy policy
2022-03-23
The war in Ukraine and consequent threat of energy insecurity is forcing many countries to reconsider their existing policies. The ripple effect has also reached Switzerland, which is already reassessing its gas supply for the coming winter.
Tags: Business,Featured,newsletter