61340 Vorabseiten_e - Unabhängige Expertenkommission Schweiz

closer to the Swiss electricity generation plants than to the coal-fired power
stations in the Ruhr. In the pre-war period, Swiss exports reached their highest
level in 1936, covering 2.1% of German consumption. In absolute terms,
supplies to France (until 1940) and Italy (until 1943) remained relatively stable
(500 million kWh and 200 million kWh respectively). On the other hand,
supplies to Germany increased substantially: from 300 million kWh in 1933
and 500 million kWh in 1934, to 1.1 billion kWh in 1940. This increase was
partly due to the coming on-stream of new hydroelectric power stations on the
Rhine, but also to the electricity sector’s advantageous position in the clearing
system.
During the war – disregarding the fluctuations which were due more to the
weather than to political or economic factors – deliveries to Germany remained
more or less constant, with a slight downward trend. At the end of the war, they
fell to around 100 million kWh. By contrast, supplies to France were resumed
in autumn 1944 and reached their pre-war levels again over time. In statistical
terms, the war therefore brought no major changes as regards the level of Swiss
exports and Germany’s share of this market. In qualitative terms, however, a
change occurred primarily for two reasons: firstly, the nature of electric
consumption on the German side, which focussed on the requirements of the
war economy, and secondly, electricity’s important role in Swiss economic
policy.
Thanks to their good connections with the authorities – to no small degree
owing to the accumulation of official powers – the representatives of the
electricity industry had little difficulty in securing the necessary export licences
and, in particular, making generous use of the clearing system. This proved
possible despite opposition from the central body representing the interests of
trade and industry, the Swiss Federation of Commerce and Industry (Vorort),
which was reluctant to grant such a powerful status to this sector. At the end of
the war, the Vorort promptly used the opportunity arising from the decrease in
coal deliveries to limit the supplies of electricity and thus the use of the clearing
system. Vorort’s director, Heinrich Homberger, stated in December 1944: «If
coal delivery now collapses so disastrously, our electricity exports will acquire
the character of proffering aid. This we cannot justify. We must therefore readjust
our electricity exports.» 4
For obvious technical reasons, the transport of electricity was only of interest
over shorter and medium distances. The electricity industry therefore primarily
supplied customers in the immediate vicinity: Lombardy and Piedmont from
Ticino or Poschiavo (Brusio-Werk); Alsace and Lorraine as well as Baden
(Germany) primarily from the power stations on the Rhine. The supplies from
Chancy-Pougny (Geneva) to the Schneider company in Le Creusot (Saône-et-
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