ewb participates in Grimsel hydroelectric project

The city of Berne utility participates in a hydroelectric power plant
project of the Oberhasli AG (KWO).
When the project is about as part of the investment program to
upgrade KWO plus two existing power plants in the Grimsel area.
These plants - the plants and Innertkirchen Handeck 2 1 - are more
than 60 years old and should be adapted to today's needs, such as the
Berne City Council announced on Thursday.
Now it is all about the construction of a second, larger turbine
water path, a new catch basin, installation of two additional turbines
and the refurbishment of the existing machine. Through these measures,
the performance of the two power plants by more than 60 percent
increase.
The city-owned utility Energie Wasser Bern (EWB) is already involved
with an investment of one sixth of KWO. The investment cost of the
project is now ewb afford any amount. It carries with ewb the annual
operating costs.
With the inauguration of the renewed power plants Handeck
Innertkirchen 2 and 1, the annual costs increase by 11.1 million
francs. For ewb thus additional costs to fall from 1.85 million
francs. However, these are offset by corresponding additional income,
as it is further stated in the notice.

Compensation for nuclear
For the Bernese council's participation in the project ewb makes
sense. Hydropower plays an important role in the substitution of
nuclear energy, writes the local council. Remember that the voters in
the city of Berne, last year decided the nuclear phase-out of the city
no later than 2039th
The appreciation of the two power plants in the Grimsel area is safe
to be uncontested and ecologically, as the council writes. He now has
the appropriate tuning business for the attention of the City Council
adopted. The referendum for the project is expected on 11 Held in
March 2012.
Regardless of this project is planning two more projects in the KWO
Grimsel area: the construction of pumped-storage station 3 and the
enlargement of the Grimsel Grimsel lake. The two transactions if they
are able to permit the voters of the City of Bern presented later, as
the council continues to write.