Overview of the year
Chlus power plant receives support from Bern
September
The planned Chlus hydropower plant in Prättigau and the Graubünden Rhine Valley will benefit from a simplified authorisation procedure. This was decided by the Swiss parliament.
At the end of September, the Swiss parliament passed the so-called consolidation bill, the federal legislation assuring a secure supply of electricity with renewables. Following this decision, the legislator now expressly supports the construction of 16 specifically named hydropower projects for winter power supply. These include Repower’s Chlus power plant project. As a designated project, construction of the plant is given greater weight than other national interests. A referendum has been initiated against the consolidation bill.
In the case of Chlus, parliament’s decision is not likely to directly accelerate proceedings, as they are already well advanced. However, the balancing of interests will be shifted in favour of the project by law.
For the Chlus project team at Repower, two tasks take centre stage in 2023. “We’ve pushed ahead with the completion of the concession approval process, and are already in the middle of the next phase with the development of the construction and public consultation project,” explains project manager Marco Cortesi.
Construction is estimated to take around five years, with execution expected to begin in 2027 at the earliest. Repower will make the final decision once the concession and approval process has been completed and the economic framework has been clarified.
Marco Cortesi
Generation Asset Management