Brief Review

Gas & Electricity

In 2006 domestic energy consumption was broken down as follows:

• Gasoline 31,6%
• Other petroleum products 24,5%
• Electricity 23,4%
• Gas 12%
• All other 8,5%

Switzerland‘s electricity market is greatly fragmented. Some 900 companies, including 7 generation and transmission companies and approximately 80 producers, secure the supply of electricity. Cross-border electricity trading is of major importance for Switzerland, both economically and in terms of supply. With an export surplus of between 5 and 10 TWh, the balance from electricity trading has risen to more than a billion Swiss francs thanks to increasing wholesale prices.

Domestic end consumption rose to more than 57 TWh in 2006, with households, industry and the services sector each accounting for one-third of this total. In 2006, the proportion of electricity to overall energy demand was approximately 23%. Hydroelectric power provides 58% of Switzerland’s electricity needs, nuclear provides 38%, with thermal, solar and wind contributing the rest.

Since the early 1970s natural gas has been piped in from abroad via the European Gas Pipeline.

The Swiss Federal Office of Energy is responsible for overseeing the gas and electric industries.