Switzerland eyes cooperation with Russia if gas market liberalized
MOSCOW. July 9 (Interfax) - Switzerland is offering to cooperate with Russia if it liberalizes its gas market.
Swiss Minister of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications Doris Leuthard told reporters in Moscow that the Swiss gas market was now closed. "The gas market in Switzerland is still very closed, with effectively just one trading company. Liberalization of the market is under way in Europe, and we view this as a very realistic prospect," she said.
"But no specific steps are being made in this direction so far. A political decision would be needed, perhaps even a referendum," she said, adding that the process could take three or four years.
Leuthard discussed cooperation in a liberalized gas market at a meeting with Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak. "We know the [Swiss] gas market will open up to some extent, and this is an area of cooperation that also interests us very much," she said.
Switzerland buys gas from E.ON, which buys gas from Russia. Gas accounts for 13% of the fuel consumed in Switzerland.
Switzerland also buys Russian oil, but this could fall by 30% as a share of the country's energy balance in 2025-2030.
Leuthard and Novak also discussed cooperation in energy efficiency, which she said could develop in a number of fields. The first is improving heat insulation in homes, the second is modernizing power networks and smart networks, and the third is implementing the latest energy saving and efficiency technologies.