Axpo boosts wind power activities in Switzerland and joins Suisse Eole

23.08.2023 - Axpo is expanding its activities in the area of wind power, with a focused commitment on the development, construction and operation of wind turbines in Switzerland. There is enormous potential in wind energy, particularly as it supplies essential winter electricity in the cold, dark months of the year. At the National Wind Energy Conference, Axpo also joined industry association Suisse Eole.

Axpo continues to drive the energy transition in Switzerland, and it is boosting its investments in renewable energies. To further these ambitions, Axpo has established a new team that will advance the development, construction and operation of wind turbines.

Currently Switzerland has 42 wind turbines with an output of around 150 gigawatt hours (GWh) – just 0.3 per cent of the total electricity generated in the country. But it could be so much more. ‘According to a study issued by the federal government, wind energy has a theoretical domestic potential of almost 30 terawatt hours (TWh). We need to use more of it. That’s because wind energy is a valuable element of the Swiss electricity mix, particularly as turbines produce around two thirds of their electricity in winter,’ says Cédric Aubert, the new Head of Axpo Wind Switzerland. And we will need it if we are to reach the ambitious targets for the expansion of renewable energies in Switzerland laid down by the government.

‘Our new team will be passionately committed to the development of wind energy projects which will not only contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions but also supply vital winter electricity.’ Consequently, Axpo is evaluating relevant locations for wind turbines in Switzerland.

Axpo – part of the Swiss wind community

During the National Wind Energy Conference, Axpo joined Suisse Eole, the industry association that hosts the event. This membership will offer Axpo opportunities for forming close alliances within the industry, and with experts and key interest groups in the wind energy sector. ‘This collaboration will allow us to exchange best practice examples, realise synergies and drive the development of wind energy projects in Switzerland,’ says Cédric Aubert, who contributed greatly to the development of the Mollendruz wind project in the Jura Vaudois.

Expertise in the construction and operation of wind turbines

Axpo has acquired over 100 years’ worth of expertise in power plant construction and grid expansion in Switzerland. Backed by the new team, the knowledge of Axpo subsidiary CKW in current wind projects in Switzerland and 30 years’ experience of subsidiary Volkswind, Axpo is well equipped to expand wind energy in Switzerland. To date Axpo has developed more than 80 wind farms in Germany and France, with a total installed capacity of over 1,470 MW. In France, Axpo is one of the leading companies in the development and construction of wind farms. This consolidated expertise forms the basis for successful implementation of wind energy activities in Switzerland.