Grid security

Line inspection near Niederbipp

A fault in key strong-current lines can result in power outages in entire regions of Switzerland. Simple, rapid correction of the fault on the affected line is therefore an important criteria for security of supply.

While the operation of an overhead line is usually automatically restored after a fault, faults in an underground line can only be localised with difficulty and after a lengthy search. The insulation required for this, as well as the limited space, makes repairing underground lines a highly complex task which can extend over several days, weeks or even months.

An outage of this type in a nationally strategic line would present a risk to the country's security of supply.