Walter Steinmann, Director of the Federal Office of Energy, travels to Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) for a three-day working visit on January 16, 2010. He will participate in the international World Future Energy Summit 2010 where he represents Switzerland at a round-table discussion attended by energy ministers.

From 1 January 2010, the Federal Office of Communications will take up from the Federal Office of Energy the responsibility for the enforcement of the Ordinance on Electromagnetic Compatibility (OEMC). OFCOM will therefore be responsible for issues relating to interference due to electromagnetic fields. Today the Federal Council gave the green light for this transfer. It also approved the complete revision of the ordinance to harmonise it with the European legislation.

Swiss electricity consumers will continue to pay a surcharge of 0.45 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity in 2010 to fund the production of green energy, the Federal Office of Energy announced today.

Electricity consumption in Switzerland increased by 2.3% in 2008 to 58.7 billion kilowatt hours (kWh), a new record for electricity consumption in one year.

In the 2009 March session, Parliament agreed to the second stabilisation programme put forward by the Swiss Federal Council in support of the Swiss economy. To this end, it has approved additional credit totalling 710 million francs for 2009, 60 million of which will flow into three support programmes in the energy sector.

The subsidisation fund for green electricity has run dry. There have been so many registrations for compensatory feed-in remuneration (KEV) since May 2008 that the total cost ceiling for KEV has been reached.

At the 'World Future Energy Summit 2009' international conference in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) today, Federal Councillor Moritz Leuenberger called for increased investment in a sustainable energy supply.