Chapter 2.11 of the dispatch (pp. 702-815) covers the new internal market agreement on electricity. At over 110 pages, it is one of the most extensive chapters, governing Switzerland's integration into the European electricity market while protecting universal service and hydropower.
Switzerland is connected to the European interconnected electricity network via 41 cross-border power lines. Without contractual regulation, increasing marginalisation threatens: Swiss interests are not taken into account in European grid planning and market regulation. The electricity agreement creates a legal basis for participation in the EU's internal electricity market.
Negotiations comprised 13 rounds in 2024 and resulted in a compromise combining market opening with protection of universal service and hydropower.
| Element | Regulation |
|---|---|
| Market opening | Yes, with universal service protection |
| Universal service | Consumption threshold of 50 MWh for the protected sector |
| Hydropower concessions | Not affected |
| Public service | Guaranteed |
| ElCom | Continues to supervise |
| DSO unbundling | Required (distribution system operators) |
| Solar transition period | 3-year remuneration protection |
The agreement provides for full market opening while guaranteeing universal service for households and SMEs:
A key negotiation success: hydropower concessions are not affected by the agreement. This means:
Public service in the electricity sector remains guaranteed:
The agreement requires legal and accounting unbundling of distribution system operators:
For existing solar power remuneration contracts (feed-in remuneration), a 3-year transition period applies:
The agreement contains an emissions-based component analogous to the LSVA:
The electricity agreement strengthens Switzerland's security of supply:
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Agreement type | Internal market agreement |
| Cross-border lines | 41 |
| Market opening | Yes, with universal service protection |
| Universal service threshold | 50 MWh annual consumption |
| Hydropower concessions | Not affected |
| Supervisory authority | ElCom |
| Solar transition period | 3 years |
| Negotiation rounds 2024 | 13 |