Communal vote Sonvilier buries Bernese part of the "Quatre Bornes" wind farm

The Bernese Jura municipality of Sonvilier has once again spoken out against the planned "Quatre Bornes" wind farm. Voters rejected the proposal by 309 votes to 259, as the municipality announced on Sunday. The voter turnout was 70.2 percent.

In 2020, the project was rejected by just four votes. A citizens' committee then launched an initiative for a second vote: After the 2022 energy crisis, some voters may have changed their minds, it said. The Federal Supreme Court gave the green light for the new ballot.

The wind farm was planned on the border between the cantons of Bern and Neuchâtel. Six wind turbines were to be erected on the Bernese side and three on the Neuchâtel side. Objections to the project are pending in the canton of Neuchâtel.

In Sonvilier, supporters calculated during the referendum campaign that the wind farm would generate additional income of around CHF 200,000 per year for the municipality.

Opponents warned that the landscape would be disfigured. The Chasseral region with its typical pastures and hills is valued by many visitors as a recreational area.

"Concentration on the Neuchâtel part"

The idea for the wind farm came from local farmers. They financed the initial studies in 2006 and also brought the energy company Groupe E on board. The investment was estimated at around 90 million francs. The electricity supplier and BKW subsidiary "La Goule" joined as a regional investor in July 2024.

The result of the vote means the end of the Bernese part of the project, the promoters announced on Sunday. Groupe E Greenwatt will now concentrate its efforts on the realization of the Neuchâtel part of the park. The approval process is in the final phase.

The electricity supplier "La Goule" assured that it respects the referendum. However, this in no way calls into question its efforts to offer customers more renewable electricity.