Business and industry feel betrayed by the Federal Council’s emergency plan. Energy-intensive industries have been demanding for weeks that private homes must also cut back if there is a power shortage.
In fact, the Federal Council is primarily looking after the budget. In the first phase, the state government plans no more than austerity appeals. If this does not have the desired effect, the large customers, ie industry, will have to reduce their consumption by 20 per cent. Around 30,000 companies will be affected in Switzerland.
FDP pair sees need for action
Alexander Keberle from business umbrella organization EconomySuisse demands that “companies that make a significant contribution to the security of supply or that have experienced substantial losses as a result of quotas should be better taken into account”.
National Counselor Susan Vincenz-Stoffcher (55) and Councilor of States Damien Mueller (37) now want to take this into account. The FDP pair are currently working on a political initiative that would require the Federal Council to take further measures to protect the economy.
Blick Political Head Faki: «The energy crisis plan is understandable and logical»,02:34,
Switching should also be rewarded
Families that reduce their gas consumption “by a certain percentage” will receive a bonus or tax break. If gas consumption increases, at best, an additional charge will have to be paid. “It gives families that don’t voluntarily limit their energy consumption today, an incentive to do so,” says Damien Muller.
Those who do not use gas at all can also benefit from the speed manufacturers suggest – for example by converting to heat pumps or wood heating. “Landlords would be obligated to forward the information from the gas supplier and any bonuses to tenants,” Muller says.
auction for measures
For companies, the FDP pair is bringing discount auctions into play. Mueller: “It would be a huge advantage if the state could figure out who could do without using gas without doing a big loss. It minimizes the economic loss.” In concrete terms, this means that the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) will hold an auction for gas-saving measures.
In this case, the contract would be awarded to the company that recorded the lowest price of gas per kilowatt hour. “It is conceivable to have different auction volumes for large and small companies. The cost is charged to the end customer as a surcharge per kilowatt hour of gas supply,” says Muller.
Renewable energy should also be promoted
Liberals are also eyeing renewable energy: instead of relying on one-time investment contributions like the Federal Council, the power industry, like Mueller and Vincenge-Stoffetcher, is seeking variable market premiums – for solar systems, for example.
“The variable market premium compensates for the difference between the electricity market price and the higher amount specified in the tender, so that the system operator receives a stable minimum tariff for the electricity produced,” says Müller.
The main difference from the previous feed-in tariffs is that the tariff is not set by the state but by the auctioneers.
