Energy Ticino and Uri reach agreement on the operation of the Lucendro power plant
Energy Minister Albert Rösti accompanied the agreement between the cantonal governments of Uri and Ticino on the future of the Lucendro hydroelectric power plant.
Image: Keystone
Roberto Pronini, Director of the Ticino electricity company, Christian Vitta, President of the Cantonal Government of Ticino, Federal Councillor Albert Rösti and Christian Arnold, Mayor of Uri (from left), expressed their satisfaction with the agreement on the future of the Lucendro hydroelectric power plant.
Image: Keystone
Energy Minister Albert Rösti accompanied the agreement between the cantonal governments of Uri and Ticino on the future of the Lucendro hydroelectric power plant.
Image: Keystone
Roberto Pronini, Director of the Ticino electricity company, Christian Vitta, President of the Cantonal Government of Ticino, Federal Councillor Albert Rösti and Christian Arnold, Mayor of Uri (from left), expressed their satisfaction with the agreement on the future of the Lucendro hydroelectric power plant.
Image: Keystone
After many years of negotiations, the cantonal governments of Uri and Ticino reached an agreement on Friday regarding the future operation of the Lucendro power plant. The background to the new agreement is the concession for the hydropower plant, which expires at the end of the year.
The two cantonal governments informed media representatives about the new agreement on Friday evening in the presence of Energy Minister Albert Rösti in Airolo.
Due to the ongoing disagreement between the two cantonal governments, the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) had to intervene as mediator in the negotiations in 2022.
The agreement that has now been reached was "not easy, but important", explained Rösti at the power plant headquarters in Airolo. While the canton of Ticino will be responsible for technical management in future, the canton of Uri will be responsible for commercial management.
Optimized production in winter
According to press releases from the two cantonal governments, Uri and Ticino will each hold a 50 percent stake in the plant from January 1, 2025. The new division of labor will improve hydropower production in winter and "along the entire Leventina chain", according to the press release.
This is the case because Azienda Elettrica Ticinese (AET), which is responsible for technical management, also operates the other Leventina plants downstream of Airolo. The term of the new concession is 60 years.
There had been disagreement between the cantons of Uri and Ticino about the future operation of the power plant in the Gotthard region since 2013. The power plant uses the "intercantonal waters" of the Reuss and Ticino rivers, as stated in the press release from the canton of Uri.
The technical and legal details of the agreement will now be finalized by the two cantons before being submitted to the respective parliaments.
From January 1, 2025 until the new solution comes into force, the current operator Lucendro AG will guarantee the provisional operation of the plant.
SDA
