“Site propice” Great St. Bernard Pass (26.01.2012)

Milestone for Planned Wind Park on the Great St. Bernard Pass

Cantonal government confirms the entry into renewable energies

The Valais cantonal government makes a positive decision about a wind power project planned by SwissWinds Development GmbH for the Great St. Bernard Pass. Over the coming years, the area applied for was released for wind power and together with its partners in the Entremont/VS district, SwissWinds wants to build two wind parks.

In the course of its meeting on 11.01.2012, the Valais cantonal government decided to designate the area around the tunnel portal of the Great St. Bernard Pass as a “site propice”. After SwissWinds had already received a positive decision for Combe de Barasson, which is above the tunnel portal, the second stage for introduction of wind power in the Entremont district was concluded.

With the “site propice” decision by the cantonal government, the area applied for by SwissWinds as being suitable for the use of wind power was finalised and the next stage will consist of procuring the building permits required for the construction of the wind park before a start can be made with building the infrastructure. Access roads, power connection and foundations must be completed before these imposing power generators can be erected.

According to the SwissWinds project managers, the initial phase is planning six wind turbines at the tunnel portal and seven at the higher Combe de Barasson. The precise number as well as type of the plants, together with the exact locations, will be defined by the building permits. Since the development of a wind power project is a complex process, it is not yet possible to provide a definitive answer concerning the final detailed planning and exact time scale of both wind parks.

In building the plants at Combe de Barasson, SwissWinds will already beat the record that they set in the summer of 2011 for Europe's highest wind power plant. At around 2,500 m above sea level, the highest plant at the Combe de Barasson will be some 40 m higher than the plant that was built last summer on the Gries by the Nufenen Pass.