Most ultra-high-voltage lines in Switzerland are situated in zones with natural hazards that are often difficult to avoid.

What do professional divers have to do with the construction of an extra-high-voltage link? To find out, you first need to know that the mini-tunneller, Giorgia, is currently drilling out the gallery to house the extra-high-voltage link between the substation at La Bâtiaz and Le Verney in Martigny.

Given the large number of tunnels in Switzerland and the frequently expressed need for more extra-high voltage lines to be cabled, bundling these and other infrastructures together would seem to make sense and is envisaged in relation to individual projects. However, the synergies created by the Gotthard line cabling cannot be transferred to just any grid project.

In the interview, Roberto Pronini, Director of Azienda Elletrica Ticinese, tells us about his experience of the Studio Generale on high- and extra-high-voltage grids from the company’s point of view.

Thanks to the Studio Generale, Ticino has been playing a pioneering role in fostering dialogue and the search for synergies since 2013. Studio Generale is a cantonal working group that brings together Swissgrid, SBB and AET to work on a common goal: the search for synergies and optimisation of power line routes tailored to suit the landscape. The parties’ goal is to ensure the continuing security of the electricity supply in harmony with regional planning.

The transition towards sustainable energy sources requires the extra-high-voltage grid to be upgraded and expanded to comply with the amount of electricity that will need to be transmitted in the future.

On 8 January 2021, a grid frequency deviation occurred in Europe. ENTSO-E published an intermediate report on the incident on 26 February. In an interview, Markus Imhof, Head of Balancing & Scheduling, explains the role that Swissgrid played in this event.

Swissgrid and SiL have renovated their electrical facilities at the Romanel substation. The work has now been completed. Yves-André Bagnoud, Head of the Research & Project Office at Lausanne industrial Services (SiL), tells us about the history of this substation and its importance for SiL.

6,700 kilometres of lines, 12,000 pylons and 141 substations – the Swiss extra-high-voltage grid is a complex web. This becomes particularly apparent when it is to be represented graphically.

High above Rhäzüns, Swissgrid replaced the pylon of a 380-kilovolt line in a construction period lasting only two months.

The grid needs to be upgraded and expanded in line with demand to ensure the successful implementation of the Energy Strategy 2050. That much is clear. But grid projects often take longer than planned. Why is that?

Giorgia, the mini-tunnel boring machine sporting the colors of Valais and of Switzerland, was recently lowered into the Verney shaft. Impressive pictures have been taken.