The Federal Supreme Court in Switzerland has given the green light for the country’s largest wind farm to be constructed in Canton Vaud. Opposition to the project has been dismissed by the country’s highest court, meaning the 12 new wind turbines will now be able to be built on the ridge east of the Col du Mollendruz.
The controversial wind farm will have a capacity of 50 megawatts. Once completed, the country will be able to produce 100 to 112-gigawatt hours of electricity from wind and solar power alone. That means about 100.000 people’s electricity will come exclusively from non-hydropower-related renewable sources.
The twelve wind turbines approved by the government are kitted out with the latest technology, with authorities predicting they will increase Switzerland’s wind power production by around 80 percent. "The technology has made incredible progress, we now have to implement the projects as quickly as possible in order to increase our security of supply as quickly as possible", Lionel Perret, Managing Director of Suisse Eole, told 20 Minuten.
The announcement comes at a time when Europe finds itself scrambling to find new ways to produce renewable energy, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine led many nations to stop purchasing Russian gas. The total investment for the new wind power project is around 90 million Swiss francs.
The wind power plant will be especially useful in the colder months in Switzerland. “Two-thirds of wind power is produced in winter. It is therefore systemically relevant for the security of supply and compensates for the solar and hydropower that produce less in winter”, Isabelle Chevalley, President of Suisse Eole, explained.