«Swissgrid has a central role. I look forward to deepen my knowledge of your tasks today.» With these words, Federal Councillor Alber Rösti welcomed us to Swissgrid's headquarters in Aarau on October 11, 2024. As the national grid company, Swissgrid is responsible for the secure operation and monitoring of the Swiss transmission grid and thus makes an important contribution to Switzerland's security of supply. We are therefore delighted that Federal Councillor Rösti came to see our work in the service of Switzerland in person.

Exploring the current challenges facing the electricity sector

The visit focussed on the role of the extra-high-voltage grid as the backbone of a secure supply of electricity. Further topics of discussion between the Federal Councillor and the members of Swissgrid’s Executive Board included the current challenges facing the electricity sector and the latest energy policy developments.

Albert Rösti took the opportunity to gain an on-site impression of the complex tasks and daily work of the various departments at Swissgrid.

Experiencing cross-border cooperation live

The Energy Minister began his visit at the heart of the Swiss transmission grid, the Swissgrid Control command centre. During a tour of the grid control room in Aarau, he obtained a detailed insight into the demanding work of the System Operations Specialists, including operating grid operation, power system control and measures to ensure a stable system frequency. Our Head of System Operations, Bastien Grand, explained: «The lack of an electricity agreement is increasingly noticeable in operating grid operations.» 

The Swiss transmission grid is located at the heart of Europe and represents an integral part of the continental European interconnected grid, with 41 cross-border lines. Cooperation with our European partners is vital – especially in grid operations. To ensure stability in the interconnected grid, it is essential for everyone to abide by the same rules. Consequently, good cross-border cooperation is crucial, and we need the right to have our say. This is demonstrated particularly impressively in Swissgrid’s grid control room. 

Safety & security as the top priority 

As the operator of a critical infrastructure, Swissgrid treats security, and therefore also cybersecurity, as a top priority. To do so, Swissgrid is continuously adapting to meet the changing demands placed on companies’ security arrangements, emergency response measures, crisis management and business continuity management. «As a result of increasing digitalisation and networking, it is becoming more and more important to protect the grid and grid operations from cyber risks,» our Head of Technology, Konrad Zöschg, told the Federal Councillor. Technical monitoring and cyber defence, i.e. cyber resilience to ensure system reliability, are extremely important to protect against attackers. 

As well as pushing forward digitalisation, Swissgrid is also focusing on the development and implementation of innovative solutions. This made a tour of our Research and Digitalisation (R&D) department with Matthias Bucher, Head of R&D, a must during the Federal Councillor’s visit. Innovation and digitalisation are at the forefront when it comes to creating the necessary conditions for the desired digital transformation throughout the company. Matthias Bucher was able to present one of our current projects, «Pylonian» (monitoring of electricity pylons using IoT sensors), to the Federal Councillor. «The aim of Pylonian is to observe the condition of electricity pylons over their entire life cycle so that structural damage can be recognised as early as possible and any necessary maintenance work can be carried out in good time», explained Matthias Bucher. 

Data as the key to the energy transition

Data can help resolve one of the biggest challenges of the energy transition: the volatility of renewable energies. The increasing volume of solar power being fed into the system poses growing challenges for the grid, some of which incur significant costs. Swissgrid is therefore constantly working to improve data quality and forecasting accuracy. It intends to use innovative digital solutions to improve the availability of data regarding the photovoltaic energy being fed into the grid. However, Swissgrid cannot meet these challenges alone. That is why we are working with distribution system operators and balance groups to improve the situation rapidly.

Intensive dialogue on the future of the Swiss electricity grid

«Electricity flows through us» is our motto and is what drives us every day. However, the transformation of the energy system increases its complexity. The grid has to overcome additional challenges in the production, feed-in, distribution and storage of electricity.

The talks with Federal Councillor Albert Rösti therefore also centred on the question of how to prepare the Swiss electricity grid for the future. Swissgrid is continuously working on modernising the Swiss transmission grid, expanding it where necessary and operating it more efficiently. One thing is clear: the legal framework is a decisive factor. 

We cannot achieve the energy transition without the grid: no transition without transmission! 

The current approval processes mean that it takes far too long before a grid project can be implemented. «We cannot achieve the energy transition without the grid, which is why the approval processes for grid projects urgently need to be accelerated,» emphasised Adrian Häsler, Head of Grid Infrastructure at Swissgrid. Grid expansion is not keeping pace with the expansion of power plants, and economically inefficient grid congestion is a direct consequence of this. 

The «Grid express» proposal, under which the Federal Council wants to speed up the approval processes for the renovation and expansion of the grids, was also discussed with the Federal Councillor. This is a key proposal for Swissgrid. If the approval processes are speeded up, overhead lines are given priority and existing lines are replaced efficiently, grid expansion can better keep pace with the expansion of renewable energies in the future, which will in turn have a positive impact on Switzerland’s security of supply.

The members of Swissgrid’s Executive Board also stressed the importance of reliable framework conditions for investments in the grid infrastructure.

Working together to ensure security of supply

Federal Councillor Albert Rösti was impressed by the high level of technical competence of Swissgrid employees and the innovative approaches that Swissgrid is pursuing.

The Energy Minister’s visit to Swissgrid sends an important signal regarding cooperation between politicians and the electricity sector. We can only overcome the challenges of the future by working together. Swissgrid will continue to cooperate closely with the federal government and its partners in the electricity sector to continue to ensure Switzerland’s high level of security of supply in the future.

We would like to thank Federal Councillor Rösti for the open and constructive exchange. «Now I know that nothing works without the daily work of Swissgrid – you are indispensable», he emphasized at the end of his visit. A message that we support 100 percent.

As a gift, CEO Yves Zumwald presented the Federal Councillor with a picture by Grid Maintenance Manager Flurin Bergamin. His work at Swissgrid inspired him to create a work of art featuring electricity pylons using the thread technique. This gift illustrates the extensive commitment of Swissgrid employees. We hope that the picture will find a prominent place in Bern and remind the employees of the Federal Administration time and again of the importance of the grid for achieving a successful energy transition.

This visit once again demonstrated the importance of dialogue between political decision-makers and the key players in the electricity sector. At a time when the energy system is facing the greatest upheaval in its history, setting a clear path for the future and close cooperation are the key to success.