Swissgrid successfully inaugurated the new Bözberg visitor centre on 6 and 7 September 2019. The centre, located in the canton of Aargau, gives the general public and interested parties an insight into the advantages and disadvantages of using overhead power lines and underground cabling, and provides a forum for discussion.

The official opening on Friday evening was attended by more than 50 representatives from politics, official bodies, the energy industry, and the construction companies involved. As part of the inauguration ceremony, René Bosshard, Managing Director of Erne AG, handed over the key of the visitor centre to Adrian Häsler, Head of Grid Infrastructure at Swissgrid. Experts from Swissgrid then took the invited guests on a tour of the visitor centre and the transition structure.

The next day, under perfect blue skies, Swissgrid presented the new visitor centre to the broader public. Around 500 people made their way to Bözberg, where they were able to join Swissgrid’s half-hourly tours of the visitor centre and the north-side transition structure where the underground cable is connected to the overhead lines. The visitors showed a high level of interest and asked plenty of questions of Swissgrid’s experts. For Swissgrid, meanwhile, the event was an opportunity to hold an open, transparent debate with local people and promote greater understanding of the need for modernisation of Switzerland’s extra-high-voltage grid.

The visitor centre on the Bözberg will remain open for the next three years. Swissgrid offers two-hour tours for groups of five people or more free of charge, as well as guided tours for individuals on the last Wednesday of each month.