Govt orders hydro to keep spare capacity

Hydro-electric stations will be paid by the government to hold back on electricity sales to make sure there’s enough reserve power over the winter.

At a press conference in Bern yesterday, the energy minister Simonetta Sommaruga, said the plan could cost CHF 700m.

Using less hydro could put the cost of power up by 1.2 centimes per kilowatt hour – but having reserves will mean there’ll be spare capacity if there’s a shortage of gas and oil. 

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