Energy policy in the Canton of Bern: what the new legislative period brings

The Energy Strategy sets out the long-term objectives of the Canton of Bern and is therefore also the basis for energy policy for the coming legislative period. The following objectives are therefore to be achieved by 2035:

Ensuring a secure and affordable energy supply
Expansion of renewable electricity production in the Canton of Bern with the aim of covering at least 90 per cent of electricity consumption from renewable sources
Reduction in the number of fossil-fuelled heat generators to below 50,000 by replacing them with climate-friendly and energy-efficient solutions

Although important foundations have been laid in recent years, important milestones in key areas still lie ahead for the new legislative period.

Securing Bernese hydropower for future generations

Hydropower is the most important pillar of renewable electricity production in the Canton of Bern and is central to Switzerland’s security of supply. Particularly in winter, it reliably supplies electricity and performs an important storage function in the energy system. For BKW, it is therefore clear: the expansion of hydropower must be driven forward consistently.

The focus is on the strategically important expansion projects of Kraftwerke Oberhasli AG (KWO): the Trift project and the enlargement of Lake Grimsel. BKW and KWO are doing everything they can to implement these projects together as soon as possible. At the beginning of the new legislative period, the Grand Council is already addressing the Water Strategy 2040, which confirms the high priority of KWO’s expansion projects. It is important that the Grand Council also maintains its support for these projects.

The Grand Council is expected to decide on the amendment to the KWO concession for the enlargement of Lake Grimsel during the 2026 autumn session. In April 2026, the Executive Council requested that the Grand Council approve the amendment, which is intended to almost double Lake Grimsel’s storage capacity by raising its maximum water level by 23 metres. The amended concession is a prerequisite for moving this project forward quickly and bringing it into implementation as one of the first of the 16 priority hydropower projects under the Electricity Act.

Another important matter is the renewal of KWO’s concession as part of the Hydropower Concession Strategy. The current concession, with BKW holding a 50 per cent stake in KWO, expires in 2042 and must be renewed. As a shareholder of KWO, BKW is keen to continue fulfilling its responsibility for the security of supply of the Canton of Bern and to drive forward the significant expansion projects efficiently and with a view to the future. BKW is seeking to increase its stake in KWO from 50 to at least 60 per cent. This strengthens the Canton of Bern. It would enable foreseeable losses incurred by BKW in hydropower in other cantons to be partially offset and value creation in the Canton of Bern to be increased. In addition, the storage lakes and the flexibility of the KWO power plants can be used optimally, which is of great importance for Switzerland’s security of supply. The ball is currently in the newly elected Executive Council’s court: it must draw up an updated proposal and submit it to the Grand Council.

Wind and solar energy: breaking the deadlock with accelerated procedures

Alongside hydropower, solar and wind energy must also be expanded more quickly. Expansion projects often take decades, as lengthy approval and appeal procedures lead to massive delays. With the acceleration decree, national policymakers have created important conditions for simplifying and shortening planning and approval procedures for installations of national interest. The cantons are now to provide for a single, concentrated planning approval procedure for solar and wind installations of national interest. This and other changes must now be implemented in cantonal legislation, including in the Canton of Bern. This is the aim of the pending motion to accelerate wind energy planning in the Canton of Bern, which the Government Council recommends for approval and which will be dealt with by the Grand Council in the 2026 summer session. Last year, the Government Council also already approved the necessary adjustments to the cantonal structure plan and defined suitable areas for wind and solar installations of national interest.

For BKW, it is clear: if the energy targets are to be achieved, procedures must become more efficient and more predictable. This applies to renewable energies, but also to the electricity grids.

The energy transition requires the rapid conversion and expansion of the electricity grids

With today’s approval procedures, the expansion of the electricity grids is increasingly falling behind compared with the expansion of power plants. Lengthy approval procedures, a high level of bureaucracy and spatial planning framework conditions are currently delaying the urgently needed expansion and conversion of the electricity grid and therefore the energy transition.

At national level, the problem is now being recognised. The so-called ‘Grid Express’ bill is intended to accelerate the procedures for converting and expanding the electricity grids. The bill is currently before the Council of States, whose committee has, pleasingly, for the first time also proposed comprehensive measures for the distribution grid.

It is important that the energy transition is also considered holistically at cantonal level and that measures are always taken in the electricity grid too. The grid infrastructure needed to connect solar installations, heat pumps or EV charging stations should be able to be expanded with as little administrative effort as possible. One possible measure would be, for example, to exempt transformer stations from the building permit requirement.

Building renovations as a key to energy targets

Buildings are another key pillar in achieving the energy targets. Around 40 per cent of energy consumption and more than a third of CO2 emissions in the Canton of Bern are attributable to the building sector. Energy-efficient renovations, greater energy efficiency and modern energy systems are therefore correspondingly important. The Canton of Bern is pursuing the goal of a largely climate-neutral building stock by 2050. This will require a significantly higher renovation rate as well as long-term, reliable framework conditions for owners.

An important step will be the implementation of the new Model Regulations of the Cantons in the Energy Sector (MuKEn). They define harmonised standards throughout Switzerland, including for energy efficiency, heat generation and the use of photovoltaics. MuKEn 2025 go further in various areas than the law currently in force. For example, heating requirements should in future generally be met using renewable energies or waste heat. Also newly included are more precise calculation bases for on-site electricity generation, which will significantly increase the requirements for photovoltaic systems and on-site electricity generation. New requirements relating to grey energy will also be introduced. The Canton of Bern has already partially implemented some requirements, such as the mandatory installation of solar systems under the counter-proposal to the Bern Solar Initiative. Further amendments to the legal basis will be necessary by 2030 in order to fully implement the new requirements.

With the abolition of imputed rental value, the question arises as to whether tax incentives for energy-efficient renovations should be retained at cantonal level. A motion calls for the tax deductions to be retained in full. The Executive Council recommends accepting the proposal as a postulate: for the Council, it is clear that the deduction options cannot be abolished without replacement measures, but it first wants to examine all options.

The coming legislative period will be challenging and, at the same time, set the course for energy policy. The energy transition can only succeed through collaboration between politics, business and society. BKW is committed to ensuring that the challenges can be overcome together with the Canton of Bern.

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