Executive Summary

On 15 April 2026, the Federal Council opened a consultation on a comprehensive package of ordinance revisions in the energy sector. The package includes revisions of six ordinances: energy promotion, energy, planning approval for electrical installations, CO₂ emissions, electricity supply, and nuclear liability. The consultation period runs until 15 July 2026. The changes affect hydropower, photovoltaics, biogas, wind energy, geothermal energy, gas, vehicles, and local electricity communities.

Persons

  • Federal Council (collectively; decision-makers)

Topics

  • Energy transition
  • Electricity supply security
  • Renewable energies
  • Regulation
  • Consultation

Clarus Lead

The reform package addresses central bottlenecks in Swiss energy supply during a critical transformation year. Through targeted incentives for hydropower and photovoltaics as well as simplified planning procedures, network expansion is to be accelerated – a response to electricity supply security following the phase-out of nuclear energy. The clarification of investment costs and support instruments signals that the federal government is correcting market distortions and creating legal certainty for investors.

Detailed Summary

Hydropower and Compensation Measures: The federal government is increasing the security deposit for hydropower expansion to 150 percent of anticipated compensation costs. If these cannot be quantified, a rate of 75 percent of replacement measures applies. This regulation creates planning certainty and accelerates approval procedures.

Photovoltaics Support: The one-time compensation for PV systems under 30 kW is being increased by 40 francs per kilowatt. The reason is declining market prices in 2025 and falling system yields due to stronger market price alignment of feed-in compensation rates. Biogas receives simplified access to the sliding market premium in the event of substantial renovation of existing systems; in parallel, maximum travel distances for co-substrates are defined.

Planning Procedures and Network Expansion: The revision implements the amendment to the Electricity Act, according to which planning areas no longer have to be mandatorily defined in the sectoral planning procedure. Instead, planning takes place via corridors, which simplifies procedures and accelerates network expansion. For wind energy and geothermal energy, measurement requirements and allocable investment costs are clarified.

Gas and Local Electricity Communities: Gas network operators receive a reporting obligation for quantities of renewable gas fed in. Systems in the feed-in compensation system are excluded from local electricity communities because they cannot meet the requirement of local consumption coverage. Expenses incurred by distribution network operators for self-consumption associations are treated as allocable network costs.

CO₂ Emissions and Nuclear Liability: CO₂ provisions for new vehicles are clarified and regulations for heavy vehicles are adapted to EU standards. A new premium model is introduced for nuclear liability and a levy obligation following major nuclear incidents is anchored.

Key Statements

  • Comprehensive ordinance package addresses electricity supply security through targeted promotion of renewable energies
  • Security deposits for hydropower and higher PV compensation are intended to accelerate investments
  • Simplified planning procedures (corridors instead of planning areas) shorten approval times
  • Clarification of investment costs and support criteria increases legal certainty for project sponsors
  • Reporting obligations and exclusion criteria for local communities improve data quality and market integrity

Critical Questions

  1. Evidence (Data Quality): Is the increase in PV compensation of 40 CHF/kW based on quantified market data from 2025, or is it an estimate? How is it verified that the new compensation actually leads to additional installations?

  2. Conflicts of Interest: Do established hydropower or biogas operators benefit disproportionately from the simplified access rules to the sliding market premium? Were conflicts of interest between operators and environmental protection analyzed?

  3. Causality: Is accelerated network expansion actually achieved through the corridor solution, or do new delays arise from local opposition? What alternatives to corridor planning were examined?

  4. Feasibility: Can gas network operators technically and administratively meet the reporting obligation for renewable gases by the time of entry into force? What costs do they incur?

  5. Side Effects: Does the exclusion of feed-in compensation system systems from local electricity communities lead to market distortions or investment uncertainty for smaller actors?

  6. Nuclear Liability: How is the new premium model calculated? Do liability premiums for nuclear power operators increase or decrease?

Source Directory

Primary Source: Federal Council – Consultation on Ordinance Revisions in the Energy Sector – https://www.news.admin.ch/de/newnsb/-pxZQoiKQLWJAq-Hj-bnL

Supplementary Resources:

  • Ordinances and Explanations – https://pubdb.bfe.admin.ch/de/sammlungen/beilage-medienmitteilung-vernehmlassung-150426

Verification Status: ✓ 15.04.2026

This text was created with the support of an AI model. Editorial Responsibility: clarus.news | Fact-Check: 15.04.2026