Grid Grid project
29 March 2024, Good Friday. That day, more than 24,000 vehicles passed through the Gotthard Road Tunnel. They were carrying thousands of people, most of them on their way to Ticino and Italy, some to visit relatives at Easter, others to enjoy a few days’ holiday south of the Alps.
In all likelihood, very few of them were aware that in the future, electricity will also run under the Gotthard Massif along with the cars, vans and trucks. This is obvious from the reactions of visitors to the open days organised by FEDRO at the construction site of the second tube of the tunnel. When staff at the Swissgrid stand explain that an extra-high-voltage line will be integrated into the new tunnel, the most frequent reaction is a combination of astonishment and curiosity: «Oh, really?»
Transporting goods, people and energy: it’s possible under the Gotthard
It’s quite true. The Gotthard axis is not only essential for rail and road traffic, but also for energy transport. Like the railway and road tunnels, the power line between Airolo and Mettlen is an important north-south connection. Within Swissgrid’s extra-high-voltage grid, it allows energy to be transported from the power plants to the major consumption centres.
Swissgrid plans to construct a new underground line in the service duct of the second tube of the Gotthard Road Tunnel. This is a pioneering and innovative project: Swissgrid will construct the longest underground extra-high-voltage line in Switzerland over a length of 18 km. It is also the first time in Europe that a line of this kind will be combined with a road tunnel.
Important challenges for the future of the electricity system…
While railway and motorway tunnels contribute to our well-being by guaranteeing mobility, the Swissgrid transmission system plays a key role in supplying our country with electricity.
Today, the European electricity system is undergoing a profound transformation. On the one hand, electrification in the transport, heating and industrial sectors will lead to a sharp rise in demand for electric current. On the other hand, the goal of climate neutrality will go hand in hand with a considerable increase in power generation from renewable sources, particularly solar and wind power. The four nuclear power stations still in operation in Switzerland will be replaced by hydroelectric, wind and solar power plants. Electricity will be produced in a different way and in different places than it is today.
In this context, increasing the volume of power production is not sufficient. The energy produced must be transported to the consumption centres. Switzerland and Europe therefore need modern, extended grids that can communicate with each other in real time.
...with the pioneering spirit of our predecessors
In the past, with far fewer means at their disposal, our predecessors were able to design great works that were unimaginable just a few years earlier. Just think of the construction of the Gotthard Alpine Railway in the late 19th century or the planning of the European interconnected electricity grid in the mid-20th century.
Engineers and workers back then were driven by a common goal: to lay the foundations for a better future. With the same pioneering spirit and dedication to innovation, Swissgrid and FEDRO are today implementing their innovative projects together under the Gotthard Massif to prepare Switzerland for the challenges of the future.
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