Federal Council facilitates approval of large solar installations
Large solar plants on open land can be approved more easily from 1 April. They can expect a one-time payment of up to 60 percent of the investment costs. The plants must already supply electricity by the end of 2025 and be fully commissioned by the end of 2030.
On 17 March, the Federal Council made several amendments to ordinances in the energy sector. According to a press release, these implement the urgent measures for the short-term provision of a secure electricity supply in winter, which were adopted by parliament in 2022.
The amendments facilitate the approval of large photovoltaic plants. The building permit itself is issued by the canton and must also contain conditions for dismantling. The site municipality and the landowner must have given their consent. The federal government in turn approves the electrical connection.
The large-scale plants can receive a one-off payment of up to 60 per cent of the eligible investment costs. To qualify, they must have fed at least 10 per cent of the plant’s expected production or 10 gigawatt hours into the grid by the end of 2025. The entire plant must have been connected to the grid by the end of 2030.
The relief applies until these new large-scale plants generate a total of 2 terawatt hours of electricity. The plants may not be built on crop rotation areas.