Ground-breaking ceremony The go-ahead has been given for the first solar express power plant in Graubünden

A large-scale solar power plant is being built in Graubünden. It will soon be producing 29 gigawatt hours per year. It is the first of ten planned projects.

The federal government's Solar Express is showing its first results in Graubünden: With the ground-breaking ceremony for the Sedrunsolar large-scale solar plant in the Grisons Oberland this Friday, the first of around ten projects is finally being realized. It is backed by a local energy company.

The 85 million Swiss franc plant is being built by Energia Alpina (EA), the public energy supplier of the municipality of Disentis. Aventron, a company from the canton of Basel-Landschaft that specializes in the production of renewable energies, is now also involved. This was announced by the two companies at the start of construction.

29 gigawatt hours per year

The solar power plant will be built at an altitude of over 2000 meters above sea level near the ski resort above Sedrun, on an area of just under 300 square meters. With an installed capacity of 19.3 megawatts, 5700 solar panels will supply energy for around 6500 households.

The estimated annual production is 29 gigawatt hours. 47 percent of this is to be generated in winter. This makes Sedrunsolar the second largest solar project being promoted in Graubünden.

Local project

EA Managing Director Ciril Deplazes told the Keystone-SDA news agency that the fact that this is a local project was a "decisive factor" in the voters' approval. "The mountain population doesn't want to sell everything to the lowlands," he said.

Another key factor was the optimal, already developed and hidden location. Even from the nearby slopes, the plant is barely visible.

Energia Alpina has the last word

Energia Alpina and Aventron are founding their own public limited company as equal partners for the realization and operation of the plant. However, the local energy company with its almost 30 employees will retain the final say on the large-scale project thanks to the agreed right to a casting vote.

The solar plant will be commissioned in stages up to 2028, but at least ten percent of the planned electricity production must be fed into the grid by the end of 2025 for the Solarexpress subsidies of up to 60 percent of the costs to flow.

Deplazes has no doubt that this will be achieved. Thanks to the fast pace of the project so far, there is "no stress". Moving on quickly is enough. "We have lean decision-making structures," he said.

Up to eight more large-scale plants

With Sedrunsolar, the first of the original 13 large-scale solar projects in Graubünden has reached the realization phase. Two further projects from Repower and one from Axpo have received building permits from the canton of Graubünden. However, it is unclear whether they will be realized. The two energy companies are once again reviewing the economic viability.

A further five major projects are still awaiting planning permission from the canton. Four other projects were scuppered by the voters of potential siting municipalities.