2023-10-10 13:54:59
The Sainte-Croix wind farm was officially inaugurated on Tuesday. More than 100 guests took part in a ceremony on the crests of the Vaudois Jura, where six wind turbines now stand.
“From the top of these wind turbines, a quarter of a century looks down on you,” declared State Councilor Vassilis Venizelos, transposing the famous quote from Napoleon during the Battle of the Pyramids.
The Minister of the Environment, like all the people who spoke during the ceremony, recalled the laborious design of this wind farm, the first feasibility study of which dates back to 1998.
Between multiple legal appeals, administrative delays and tensions with opponents, these wind turbines have “experienced everything, endured everything, overcome everything”, noted Christian Petit, director of Romande Energie, leader of the project. This will have required “courage and determination”, added Cédric Roten, trustee of Sainte-Croix.
Also invited to speak, former Vaud ministers Jacqueline de Quattro and Béatrice Métraux also recalled the painful birth of the project. The first recalled an information session for the “sporting” population in Sainte-Croix, while the second recounted how supporters and detractors had been invited to find a “peaceful” solution, during a meeting at the castle of Prangins.
Even Marie-Thérèse Porchet, a surprise guest at this ceremony, made fun of a project whose first traces are to be found “in the remains of the Middle Ages”. The comedian also joked regarding the project managers, since reassigned “to the Lausanne station site”, where the progress of the work is just as chaotic.
Master piece
Now erected on the crests of the Vaudois Jura, at the places called Gittaz-Dessus and Mont-des-Cerfs, these six wind turbines constitute “a concrete response” to the climate emergency, noted several speakers. They constitute “a key piece in the energy mix” necessary to emancipate ourselves from fossil fuels and foreign dependence, underlined Vassilis Venizelos.
The second largest wind farm in Switzerland, following that of Mont-Crosin in the Bernese Jura (16 wind turbines), will be commissioned by the end of November. It will produce 22 million kilowatt hours per year, the equivalent of the electricity consumption of the commune of Sainte-Croix (households + businesses).
15% gain for Swiss wind power
At the Swiss level, the arrival of Sainte-Croix will make it possible to increase wind power production in the country by 15%, indicated project manager Florence Schmidt. She recalled that many other projects were in the process of proceeding. And in particular in the Vaud region, where there is “the greatest wind potential” in the country, she said.
“There is still a lot of impetus to be given. We are on the right track, but the train is not going fast enough,” said Vassilis Venizelos.
According to the Federal Office of Energy (SFOE), between 600 and 800 wind turbines would be needed to achieve the objectives set by the Energy Strategy 2050. With the six new ones from Sainte-Croix, Switzerland now has 47.
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