How important is petroleum for Switzerland?

Even though solar and nuclear energy are being written about and discussed more these days, petroleum is by far the most important source of primary energy for Switzerland.

The consumption of petroleum has increased most significantly in the second half of the 20th century - as shown in the graph below from the Federal Energy Agency (Bundesamt für Energie). Switzerland currently covers 57% of its energy consumption with petroleum, 14% with hydroelectric-power, 12% with natural gas, and 10% with nuclear energy. The country is, therefore, 70% dependent on oil and gas, i.e. on non-renewable fossil energy carriers.

Problems surrounding future electricity shortfalls are already being discussed in political and economic circles. The future supply of oil and gas is not being debated as much, even though that issue is very urgent as well.

It is of course desirable to use or harvest renewable energy sources like biomass. It should be realized, however, that petroleum, the cost of which will keep on rising, is almost always used for their production, and that the energy balance (energy produced vs. energy consumed) is negative in many cases. Because of that, petroleum can neither be replaced by ethanol, to any significant degree, nor by other so-called \'Biofuels\'.