At present, Switzerland's electricity supply is extremely reliable. The average availability of electricity is 99.99 percent.

Since 1970, electricity consumption in Switzerland has more than doubled and it will continue to increase over the coming years. On the one hand, this is due to population growth and, on the other, Swiss households have more and more appliances that use electricity (e.g. PCs, iPods, etc.). Furthermore, computerization continues to boost the growth of the services sector.

The privileged electricity import agreements with France will expire in the foreseeable future and the Beznau I and II and Mühleberg nuclear power plants are due to be phased out from 2020.

In conclusion, demand is rising while production is falling. This may result in supply shortages, especially during the winter months when electricity usage is highest. Only a balanced electricity mix of hydroelectricity, large power plants and new renewable energies will guarantee a sustainable supply of competitively priced, virtually CO2-free electricity.