The government has ordered gas reserves to be set up for next winter.
Switzerland has extended a directive instructing its gas suppliers to prepare reserves for next winter, the government stated on Wednesday, citing possible shortages.The order mandates the storage of the equivalent of 15% of annual Swiss consumption in facilities in neighboring countries, as Switzerland itself has no domestic gas storage capacity.The reserve was originally introduced last May for the 2022-23 winter season following the cessation of Russian supplies as a result of Western sanctions.“The EU obliges member states without their own storage capacity to store 15% of their annual consumption for winter 2023/24 too,” the government said in a statement. “Switzerland is hereby continuing to show solidarity in helping to fill Europe’s storage facilities,” it added.The government noted, however, that the 15% reserve may not fully cover domestic shortfalls in an extreme scenario.
Official data shows that natural gas covers around 15% of Switzerland’s total energy consumption. Just under half of its gas imports were directly or indirectly received from Russia.
