Alpiq supports the work of the Council of State’s Commission for the Environment, Town and Country Planning and Energy (UREK) as an important contribution to ensuring the future security of the Swiss electricity supply. Giovanni Leonardi referred to this in his speech. At the same time the Alpiq CEO willingly took advantage of the opportunity to explain the position of Alpiq Holding Ltd. Giovanni Leonardi aligned himself with the position of the Swiss Federal Council with the point of view that in order to ensure the Swiss electricity supply, in addition to investments in renewable energy and the encouragement of energy efficiency, two new nuclear power stations are needed – and if necessary a small number of gas-fired power stations as an interim solution.
Leonardi additionally underlined that the careful selection of the location for the new power stations requires time and that the public authorities’ process foreseen in the Act of Parliament governing nuclear power, sets the content and the time frameworks. Central factors here are the multi-stage character of the procedure, the cooperation between the national and cantonal authorities, the rights to have a say and to register objections and the democratic legitimisation through a facultative referendum.
Alpiq further represented the view that the various applicants should reach agreement in the form of common partnership agreements about the ownership and energy drawing shares, as well as the cooperation on an eye-to-eye level, that the possible implementation of a few gas-fired power stations as an interim solution has no connection with the selection of the location for the nuclear power stations and that in the event of a referendum the Swiss people will have the final say about the building of new nuclear power stations.
Common points of view The members of the UREK Commission also gave the opportunity to present the common interests of the location-canton Solothurn and those of Alpiq. The Canton of Solothurn also expressed its agreement with the attitude of the Swiss Federal Council on the point of view that the choice of locations for the two new nuclear power stations should take place as part of the currently running General Licence Application. This foresees a comprehensive assessment of the three General Licence Applications that have been submitted and makes possible broad-based political support for the selection of the locations through the Swiss Federal Council and Parliament.