The Administrative District Office of the Bernese Jura has granted planning permission for the construction of the MontSol ground-mounted solar project in Saint-Imier. This decision enables the urgently needed expansion of renewable electricity production with a high winter share and is in harmony with agriculture, nature and the region.
The MontSol project has cleared an important hurdle on the path to realisation: the Bernese Jura administrative district authority has granted planning permission for the expansion of the Mont-Soleil solar power plant. Thanks to the MontSol ground-mounted solar installation, it will be possible in future to produce important winter electricity at 1,300 metres above sea level – in other words, at a time of year when Switzerland depends on additional electricity production. This winter, the existing solar park on Mont-Soleil has once again clearly shown that this is ideally possible at this location above the fog line.
The population of Saint-Imier already approved the project on 9 June 2024. The installation on Mont-Soleil is expected to produce 11 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity per year – a high proportion of it in winter. This is enough to supply around 2,500 four-person households.
Opportunities for all stakeholders
The project not only enables the production of more winter electricity, but also strengthens agriculture in the Jura, which is under threat from global warming. Agriculture, nature, the region and solar energy are intended to overcome challenges together and make use of opportunities for all stakeholders. They are supported in this by regional agricultural and forestry organisations, as well as the School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences HAFL in Zollikofen. Finally, the MontSol project also strengthens the municipality of Saint-Imier and the Grand Chasseral region at national and international level as an open-air laboratory for renewable energies.
In addition to BKW, the MontSol project is supported by other regional companies and organisations. These include, among others, the Bourgeoisie de Saint-Imier, Société Mont-Soleil, Société Electrique de La Goule SA and Espace découverte Énergie.
