Grid expansion in Boll: why the distribution grid took 15 years

The aim of the so-called “Grid Express” proposal is to accelerate the conversion and expansion of the electricity grids. In the proposal, the Federal Council and the National Council focus primarily on the approval procedures for Swissgrid’s extra-high-voltage lines (grid level 1). A visit to Boll, in the Bernese municipality of Vechigen, shows that accelerating measures for the distribution grid are also essential for the transformation of the energy system. When the Council of States discusses the proposal in the 2026 summer session, concrete proposals for this will be on the table.

New village centre is ready for the energy transition

Boll has changed considerably over the past 15 years: numerous buildings have been newly constructed and are fit for the energy transition. They have charging stations for electric vehicles, are heated with heat pumps and produce their own electricity with PV systems. Thanks to forward-looking collaboration between all those involved, the distribution grid was taken into account during planning and adapted to the new requirements. But this did not happen overnight.

The expansion of the distribution grid in Boll took 15 years

‘Today, Boll is almost entirely ready for the energy transition,’ says Dominik Schütz. He was jointly responsible for and supported the grid expansion in Boll for BKW over a period of 15 years. Using a map of the grid infrastructure in the village, he explains where lines were needed to distribute electricity and where transformer stations were required to convert it to other voltage levels. After all, the electricity grid must also be able to cope with the increasing demands. It must not only transport more electricity, but also accommodate the highly fluctuating feed-in from solar installations as well as the new loads from charging stations for electric vehicles and heat pumps.

In the past, there were two transformer stations in the village centre. That was sufficient for the needs at the time. Today, however, much more electricity is fed into the grid locally, for example by solar installations. This electricity then has to be transformed to a higher voltage so that it can be distributed within the municipality (for an explanation of the technical terms used in the distribution grid, see the info box at the end of the article). As more PV systems are added, the need for transformer stations also increases. Today there are seven in the village centre of Boll. “Boll is a prime example: thanks to early involvement and good cooperation between all stakeholders, grid expansion was coordinated with the construction of new buildings.” Under today’s legal framework and requirements, this process took 15 years.

In the context of the energy transition, 15 years is too long to carry out such a transformation of the distribution grid. If we take a similar amount of time in other cases, the ambitious targets cannot be achieved. But why is it currently taking so long at all?

Where transformer stations can be built – or indeed cannot be built

Dominik Schütz takes us to Kernstrasse 2. “Finding sites for transformer stations is always a challenge, as it requires the consent of the landowners,” he explains. A new transformer station here stands right on the boundary of the building zone. It enabled the development of a newly built housing estate with solar installations. “If the owner had not given her consent, it would have been difficult to find a site,” Schütz emphasises. Although there is already a building here outside the building zone, the transformer station would not have been allowed to be built outside the building zone. Another site within the building zone would have been needed, where land is scarce and often already built on. This search for a site is time-consuming and repeatedly leads to project delays.

The National Council will now decide whether transformer stations may in future be built outside building zones under certain circumstances if, as a last resort, the only other option would be expropriation within the building zone. In some cases, this could significantly accelerate grid expansion.

Short lines, lengthy planning approval procedures

A look at the grid map at Kernstrasse 2 reveals another reason why the expansion of the distribution grid has been delayed. Here, both the lowest-voltage and medium-voltage lines had to be expanded. While low-voltage lines (grid level 7) are currently approved retrospectively by the Swiss Federal Inspectorate for Heavy Current Installations (ESTI), medium-voltage lines (grid level 5) require prior planning approval, which extends the planning period by around one year.

BKW is calling for the practice of retrospective approval to be extended to medium-voltage lines as well. “We have a large number of such projects every month in BKW’s grid area. Accelerating the procedures is urgently needed in order to keep pace with the energy transition,” Schütz summarises. What matters is not the delay to an individual project, but rather the cumulative effect of all delays in expanding the distribution grid. It must be possible to implement much more infrastructure in a shorter period of time.

Parliament holds the key to accelerating the distribution grid

BKW supports the “Grid Express” proposal. However, the examples from Boll show that accelerations for the conversion and expansion of the distribution grids are urgently needed – more than currently planned. This is because there is not always as much time available for the transformation of the distribution grid as in Boll. The energy transition at a snail’s pace is not an option. Politicians hold the key.

(This blog was updated on 28/05/26 with regard to the Council of States’ summer session.)

Technical terms in the electricity grid

The distribution grid comprises all installations in the electricity grid with an electrical voltage of 132 kV and lower. In technical jargon, a distinction is made between grid levels : while high-voltage lines (grid level 3) serve the regional transport of electricity over longer distances and are usually implemented as overhead lines, installations of the Medium voltage (grid level 5) and low voltage (grid level 7) are usually laid underground and are located in residential neighbourhoods. Grid level 1 comprises the extra-high-voltage lines and are operated by the national grid company Swissgrid. The intermediate transformation levels (2, 4, 6) are necessary in order to convert electricity between voltage levels. This requires transformer stations.

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