Post-corona energy and climate policy

Innovative, digital and open to dialogue – that's Axpo, even during corona times. The panel discussion with four energy policy-makers from the national parties FDP, CVP, SVP and SP will take place digitally. The session on energy and climate policy will be broadcast as a video conference via live stream and is available to all interested parties. Start of the first virtual Axpo session series: Tuesday, 16 June, 1:30 p.m.
 

During the two-month corona crisis, the climate debate was put on hold. In the aftermath, we are sliding into a recession owing to the measures instituted to contain the pandemic. Money will be tight. Can we even afford the energy strategy and more climate protection now?

This question and other energy and climate policy issues around our power supply system, security of supply, and winter power production are the focus of this first virtual Axpo session.

Three energy policy-makers, who recently became members of the Commission for Environment, Spatial Planning and Energy (UREK) will be on the podium. They are Susanne Vincenz Stauffacher (National Councilwoman FDP, SG), Gabriela Suter (National Councilwoman SP, AG) and Mike Egger (National Councilman SVP, SG). Also part of the group is CVP National Councilwoman Marianne Binder from the energy canton of Aargau. The panel discussion will be moderated by Nicola Forster, founder of Foraus, a think tank focussing on Swiss foreign policy, and for which digitalisation is extremely important.

Driving the energy dialogue

In spite of corona – climate change remains a huge global challenge. The topic was key in the elections in October 2019 and will remain on the agenda for some time to come. Axpo is convinced that this is the case. "The political issues on the reduction of CO₂ emissions are closely linked to questions about the future of power supply and energy production. The topic also remains controversial because there is no other area that impacts us so directly. If reliable security of supply is endangered, our lives stand still," says Alena Weibel, Head of Corporate Public Affairs at Axpo.

Axpo does not see any black and white solutions for energy and climate policy. Fact-based measures and a political dialogue are needed in order for Switzerland to succeed in advancing de-carbonisation. As a result, Axpo followed the National and State Council elections last year with a website called www.klimawahl.ch. 

Using crisis as an opportunity

Sustainable solutions come about in collaboration. Axpo remains committed to an energy dialogue with no stops. As the largest Swiss producer of renewable energies and the operator of the first digital hydropower plant in Sarganserland, Axpo has already launched the digital process in the company, and now we are now striking out on a new path with the virtual session event in dialogue with policy-makers and the public.

Following Winston Churchill's motto "never waste a good crisis" we want to continue to develop the digitalisation and modernisation of our (professional) daily lives. The dialogue on climate and energy policy goes on: Analogously, digitally and with opinions from all the political camps – soon on www.axpo.com