High Quality of electricity supply in Switzerland
Berne, 05.12.2012 - In 2011, the supply of electricity in Switzerland was characterised by a high degree of reliability and complied with the highest European standards. According to the System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI), which indicates the average duration of interruptions to supply per connected end user and was used by the Federal Electricity Commission (ElCom) for the third time in 2011, the longest duration of unscheduled interruptions was 16 minutes, which was only slightly above the level recorded in 2010 (14 minutes).
ElCom's main duties include monitoring the security of Switzerland's electricity supply and in particular ensuring that the country's electricity networks are operated safely and efficiently, and provide the necessary capacity. In accordance with the applicable legislation, network operators are required to submit the internationally applicable key supply security data to ElCom on an annual basis.
The present analysis is based on the 84 largest network operators recorded interruptions that occurred in their supply area and submitted the relevant data to ElCom. The total output of these suppliers corresponds about to 85 percent of the volume of electricity supplied in Switzerland by all network operators. Only those interruptions were recorded that lasted longer than three minutes.
For 2011, the reading on the System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI), which indicates the average duration of supply interruptions per end user and which was calculated by the ElCom for the third time, was 16 minutes for unscheduled interruptions, which was only slightly higher than the level recorded in 2010 (14 minutes). A total of 23,451 interruptions were reported for 2011.The interruptions were classified by cause as follows: Natural events: 26.8%; Operational faults: 17.1%; External influences / damage by third parties: 5.7%; Human error: 0.6%; Other causes: 3.9%. The remainder can be attributed to miscellaneous causes and scheduled interruptions.
The supply of electricity in Switzerland is characterised by a high degree of reliability and complies with the highest European standards. This can be seen from a comparison between the SAIDI readings for unscheduled interruptions in Switzerland and those recorded in other European countries, which are published in the 5th CEER benchmarking report on the quality of electricity supply in 2011. The 2011 SAIDI reading for unscheduled interruptions in Germany, for example, was 15.3 minutes.
For further information, please visit the ElCom website (www.elcom.admin.ch / "Documentation" - "Information").
About ElCom
The Swiss Federal Electricity Commission (ElCom) is the independent state regulatory authority for the electricity sector. It is responsible for monitoring compliance with the provisions of the Electricity Supply Act and the Energy Act, and is empowered to take the necessary decisions and pronounce rulings.
It monitors electricity tariffs and may order reductions or prohibit increases. As a judicial authority it rules on disputes relating to network access and the payment of remuneration at cost for the feed-in of renewable energy. It also monitors the situation regarding electricity supply security and regulates issues relating to international electricity transport and trading.
The seven members of the commission, who have to be independent of the electricity sector, are appointed by the Federal Council. ElCom's president is Carlo Schmid-Sutter, a former member of the Council of States. ElCom is supported by a Technical Secretariat which is based in Bern and has a team of 35 staff headed by attorney-at-law Renato Tami.
Address for enquiries
Dario Ballanti, Commission Secretary, phone 031 325 84 67
Swiss Federal Electricity Commission ElCom
Secretariat
3003 Bern
Phone +41 (0)31 322 58 33
Fax +41 (0)31 322 02 22
E-mail: info@elcom.admin.ch
www.elcom.admin.ch
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