Switzerland

Index rank 02

Energy Sustainability Index Rankings

 2010  2011  2012  Trend
Energy Performance  1  3  4 
Energy Security  2  15  12 
Social Equity  4  4  4 
Environmental Impact Mitigation  9  14  10 
       
Contextual Performance  1  1  1 
Political Strength  1  4  5 
Societal Strength  3  3  2 
Economic Strength  11  6  6 
       
Overall Rank  1  3  2 
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Fossil Fuel Resources

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Key Metrics

Industrial sector (% of GDP) 27.5
TPEP / TPEC  (net energy importer) 0.49
Emission intensity (kg CO2 per USD) 0.32
Energy affordability (USD per kWh) 0.18
GDP / capita (PPP, USD); GDP Group 41,942 (A)
Energy intensity (million BTU per USD) 0.01
CO2 emissions (metric tons) / capita) 5.88
Population Access to Electricity (%) 100.0
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Index Commentary

Switzerland rises one place in the Index to second. A slight improvement in energy security is driven by an increased wholesale margin on gasoline, which is tempered through a continued growth in energy consumption that had started to manifest itself in last year’s Index. Higher energy and emissions intensity per capita lead to a slight decrease in environmental performance, despite an increase in the air and water quality. Switzerland continues to perform very strongly across all contextual dimensions.

Trends and Outlook

Switzerland’s leading position in the Index reflects the country’s past energy and energy-related policy decisions. However, the recent developments and expected changes are expected to have a strong impact on the country’s energy sustainability balance. Most recent energy policy developments include the decision to refrain from building new nuclear power plants which will be included in the new energy strategy that is under development and expected to be fully implemented by 2050. The necessary measures and next steps to phase-out nuclear are not yet known and will be matter of political discussions in the next few months (a public referendum is probable). To achieve the transition to a low-carbon energy system in the long term, in the short term Switzerland is likely to become more dependent on gas-fired electricity generation. Policymakers need to focus on: 1) construction of new electricity grids; 2) completing the liberalisation of the electricity market; and 3) come to a bilateral agreement with the European Union regarding electricity and renewable energy. Furthermore, there is the need to be ambitious and increase the renovation rate of buildings as part of the transition to a low-carbon energy system.