Swiss wind power lagging behind, Italy on the road to success – a comparison over time
24 February 2025
Although Switzerland has ambitious targets for domestic wind energy production and companies are willing to invest, expansion is currently making only slow progress. In Switzerland, it regularly takes 15 years or more for a wind farm to be completed. By contrast, the European Union requires its Member States to complete planning and approval procedures within two years. A look at Italy shows that this is entirely possible.
The first Swiss wind power plant was commissioned in 1986. Ten years later, Juvent the first national wind farm with three turbines was connected to the grid, having been built and commissioned within just a few years. It is operated by BKW together with three other partners and has since been expanded several times. Today, it is home to 16 of Switzerland’s 47 large wind turbines and is not only the oldest, but by far the largest of the 13 national wind farms. The project Montagne de Tramelan by BKW is a wind farm in the Bernese Jura that has currently received additional approval. Six turbines are planned, with an annual production of around 26 gigawatt hours. Planning by BKW and the two municipalities of Tramelan and Saicourt began 17 years ago. Construction work was originally expected to start in 2016. However, implementation has still not been able to begin.
Italy picks up speed in expanding wind power
The dimensions in Italy are very different, both in terms of time and capacity. From planning to completion of a new wind farm takes an average of five to six years. Planning of the two wind farms BKW Cerignola Nord and Süd began in 2017, and the 29 turbines have been under construction since the beginning of 2025. They are expected to be connected to the grid by the end of this year and produce around 310 gigawatt hours of sustainable electricity each year in the barren landscape of Apulia. So far, everything is going according to plan. Why is progress so much faster in Italy?
The implementation of wind farm projects in Switzerland takes a long time
The realisation of a wind farm in Switzerland can be drawn out, as it requires a multi-stage spatial planning and approval procedure and there are many opportunities for objections. In the first step of the statutory planning obligation, the authority-binding basis is created in the structure plan. For Tramelan, this was done in 2008 in the regional structure plan and in 2009 in the cantonal structure plan.
Based on the structure planning, landowner-binding land-use planning (development regulations) is then required. Following public participation in 2012, the municipalities of Tramelan and Saicourt adopted these development regulations in March 2015 with a majority of 60% of the electorate. These also include approval for the construction of 7 wind turbines. In a final step, the development regulations had to be approved by the cantonal Office for Municipalities and Spatial Planning, which took place in June 2016 (overall AGR decision).
Appeals were lodged against this, which were fully dismissed by the competent cantonal directorate and the Administrative Court of the Canton of Bern and finally, in November 2023, by the Federal Supreme Court. The appeals procedure, which lasted almost eight years, therefore took almost twice as long as the actual approval procedure (2012–2016) and led to significant delays in the project.
In Italy, the approval procedures run in parallel
In Italy, the approval procedure is highly streamlined. The participants from all the authorities concerned are convened in a single steering committee. This is managed locally and ultimately grants a single approval, which then applies to the entire project. The approval procedures are therefore conducted in parallel, resulting in a considerable acceleration. Objections are consequently only possible once, within 120 days of publication of the individual approval.
The approval is also designed in such a way that the turbine type can be adjusted during the course of the procedure, provided it essentially corresponds to the originally defined parameters. The latter is currently not the case in Switzerland – the type can no longer be changed after the approval has been granted. In the case of Tramelan, this means that turbines have to be installed that do not correspond to the latest state of the art. A corresponding adjustment to the Italian approach as part of the acceleration decree has already been approved by the Council of States and the National Council’s Energy Committee - BKW considers such an adjustment to be expedient.
Switzerland’s wind potential can be better harnessed
The difficulty of planning in terms of timing and consequently also finances, as well as the long time it takes to implement wind power projects, act as a deterrent to investment in Switzerland. A look abroad shows that there is certainly potential to accelerate processes in order to shorten procedures in this country too. The potential for wind energy in Switzerland is great. The installations produce around two thirds of their electricity in winter. According to a study by the FOEN, wind turbines could cover up to 20% of Switzerland’s electricity needs in the winter half-year. BKW continues to expect that it will soon make an additional contribution through the realisation of the Montagne de Tramelan wind farm.
Latest news on the acceleration decree
The acceleration decree takes up some of the elements mentioned above. In particular, BKW welcomes the flexibility regarding the choice of turbines and the streamlining of procedures. These are an important step towards putting the expansion of wind energy on a successful course in Switzerland too.
The acceleration decree also provides for sensible improvements in the field of hydropower. These are necessary in order to achieve the ambitious expansion targets of the Electricity Act. We explain in the blog why BKW supports separating ecological measures from the construction project as a last resort.
The extension of the Solar Express is also being discussed as part of the acceleration decree and is crucial to realising the projects that are already at an advanced stage. It is important that the distribution grid is also included in the acceleration process. More information on the status of BKW's alpine solar plants and the urgency of extending the Solar Express can be found in our blog.
