Switzerland, 6 EU members agree to decarbonize power generation

GENEVA

Switzerland and six EU countries have agreed to end carbon emissions in power generation by 2035, according to a press release on Tuesday.

The energy ministers of the seven countries, which also include Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, signed the agreement in Brussels Monday, the Swiss Energy Ministry announced.

"Phasing out fossil fuels is only worthwhile if the imported electricity is also fossil-free," Switzerland's minister, Albert Rosti, told the country's public broadcaster SFR.

The signatory countries are members of the Pentalateral Energy Forum, or Penta Forum, a platform for voluntary, transnational cooperation and serves as a pioneer for shaping the European energy and electricity system.

In the interview in Bern, Rosti also referred to the important role of nuclear energy in Switzerland.

"We assume that the existing nuclear power plants will run for longer than the 50 years envisaged. We are currently assuming at least 60 years," he said. Noting that many countries are planning new nuclear power plants, he touted these as an important for decarbonization.

Rosti told the broadcaster that Switzerland would remain important as an electricity hub and with its large storage capacities for the other six countries one way or another.

According to calculations by the Swiss energy start-up Aliunid, 55% of Swiss electricity generation last year came from hydropower, wind and solar.

However, a significant amount of the electricity consumed in the country comes from abroad and is significantly higher in emissions, according to the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment.