One of the largest solar plants is to be built in the Valais Alps
Am Südhang des Walliser Saflischtals soll eine Solaranlage mit rund 440 Megawatt Peak entstehen. Das Projekt wird von der Gemeinde Grengiols in Zusammenarbeit mit einer ganzen Reihe von Energieunternehmen getragen. Bereits Ende 2025 soll der erste Strom fliessen.
The municipality of Grengiols and five energy companies are planning to set up one of the largest solar plants in Switzerland: 910,000 solar modules with a total output of around 440 megawatts peak are to be installed on the southern slope of the Saflis Valley in the Valais, inform Industriellen Werke Basel(IWB) in a statement. In addition to IWB, the two Valais energy companies Energie Brig-Aletsch-Goms(EnBAG) and Forces Motrices Valaisannes(FMV), as well as the Zurich Cantonal Electricity Works(EKZ) and the French-speaking Swiss energy company Groupe E are involved in the project. A feasibility study completed at the beginning of the year has already confirmed the potential of Grengiols-Solar.
The plant is planned in an area that receives around 1500 hours of sunshine per year, which is considerably more than the Unterland. According to IWB, 42 per cent of the 600 gigawatt hours of electricity that are possible per year will be generated in winter. In combination with the Chumensee storage power plant planned by Gommerkraftwerke(GKW), 1200 gigawatt hours of electricity could be generated annually “in a plannable manner and available at any time through storage”.
The project partners are planning several years for the realisation of the plant. By the end of 2023, they want to have prepared the environmental impact report and the construction project. The investment costs are also to be calculated in connection with the latter.
By the end of 2025, the partners want to connect Grengiols-Solar to the grid with the capacity required by law. Initially, the electricity will be supplied via a temporary overhead line to a 65-kilovolt line in the Rhone Valley.