The consortium formed by Romande Energie Renouvelable (60%), a subsidiary of Romande Energie, and ewz (40%) plans to develop a wind farm spanning across the municipalities of Provence, Romairon, Fontanezier and Val-de-Travers. The turbines could be up and running by 2013. The two companies plan to be the investors and prime contractors for around 40 wind turbines to be constructed in the part of the Jura region located within the cantons of Vaud and Neuchatel.
They 40 turbine wind farm will generate 160 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, which is equal to the energy consumed by approximately 45,000 households (based on an average of 3,600 kWh per household per year). A total of about CHF 240 million will be invested in this project.
These sites meet the criteria relative to national conservation areas, forests, built-up areas and residential buildings. Wind conditions, which determine the potential of each site, were naturally taken into account as well. The energy produced by the turbines under this project will contribute to the Horizon 2025 objective set by the SFOE, under which 600m kWh per year are to be generated by wind facilities set up on cantonal sites and priority sites identified by the Swiss Wind Ener gyConcept report.
This is Romande Energie’s second investment in a wind-farm project, following the one in Sainte-Croix, and represents another step towards the ambitious objective that the electricity utility has set for itself: to use new renewable energies to produce 250-300m kWh of electricity – equal to 10% of the amount it currently delivers to its customers – by 2020-25. In pursuit of this goal, projects totalling CHF 570 million are being developed by its subsidiary Romande Energie Renouvelable in the areas of wind power, small hydro, biomass and solar power. One example is the partnership between Romande Energie and the municipality of Provence to install a solar power station on the roof of the new village hall.
The other member of the consortium, ewz, aims to supply 100-200m kWh in wind energy per year by 2018, equal to 3% to 6% of the electricity it currently delivers. In a vote on the city’s energy policy on November 30, 2008, the people of Zurich clearly spoke out in favor of environmentally conscious development. Through its involvement in this project, ewz will contribute to the provision of renewable energy to Zurich and the surrounding region.
This wind-farm project is aimed at increasing the contribution of new renewable energies to meeting the country’s electricity needs.
Romande Energie, acting through its subsidiary Romande Energie Renouvelable, and ewz, the electricity utility in Zurich, have formed a consortium to launch a wind-farm project in the municipalities of Provence, Romairon, Fontanezier and Val-de-Travers.