Swiss Energy Minister Simonetta Sommaruga told the SonntagsZeitung newspaper that for the first time, Switzerland could regulate the form in which companies in the country would have the power they need for their operations in the event of a power outage. He added that the Swiss government could not guarantee that it would always have the amount of gas needed to ensure its operation.
Switzerland gets its natural gas through the trading centers of neighboring countries, and therefore the supply problems from its neighbors will also affect it. Gas demand in the Alpine country is relatively low, accounting for about 15 percent of total energy consumption. According to Swiss government data, about 42 percent of the gas is used for heating homes, while the remaining amount is used in the industrial, service and transportation sectors. Their economy depends on oil and gas imports, A . wrote Reuters.
Therefore, no one can guarantee that everyone will always have enough gas
Sommaruga said on Sunday For SonntagsZeitung.
On Wednesday, the Swiss government presented its plans to deal with the possible shortage of natural gas in the winter, and it was also revealed that if other measures do not lead to results, it will decide to ration gas supplies.
According to the Minister of Energy, if there is a shortage of gas and electricity in Switzerland, the available amount will be allocated first to companies.
According to Sommaruga, “Initially there will be restrictions on, say, escalators or neon signs,” and he also added that the Swiss government would limit household consumption only as a last resort.
Switzerland encourages cantons, which play the role of provinces or regions, to invest more in expanding biogas, solar, wind and hydropower capacities.
Due to disruptions in supply chains, climate change and conflicts like the one in Ukraine, the Swiss government is also considering increasing its emergency food reserves to avoid future coffee, grain and sugar shortages.
It is also worth noting that after Russia cut off gas supplies through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, Germany in June began developing the second phase of the three-tiered emergency gas plan.
(Cover photo: Tanks containing natural gas at Erdgas Ostschweiz AG’s storage facility in Switzerland on March 5, 2022. Photo: Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo/Reuters)
