Walensee: Steep face solar project to be cancelled
Elektrizitätswerke des Kantons Zürich (EKZ) and St.Gallisch-Appenzellische Kraftwerke AG (SAK) are cancelling the Felsenstrom solar project above Lake Walen. Delays in the authorisation process and technical risks make completion by 2030 unlikely.
The rock face on the north side of Lake Walen will not receive a solar installation in the foreseeable future. As the project partners EKZ and SAK write in a press release, they are no longer pursuing the Felsenstrom solar project.
The electricity suppliers of the cantons of Zurich, St.Gallen and Appenzell justify their decision on the one hand with delays in the authorisation process. Adjustments to the project as a result of objections would require a new public enquiry. Secondly, the installation of free-hanging modules on the steep face would be challenging, complex and time-consuming.
The project partners therefore no longer expect to be able to complete the project by the end of 2030. However, this would be a prerequisite for it to be able to benefit from the facilitations and subsidies under the Solar Express programme.
The plant would be built at the former Schnür quarry. The solar modules with an area of 44,000 square metres should generate around 12 gigawatt hours of electricity per year, according to the public building notification from September 2024.