Switzerland - DETEC

Federal Department for Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications

The DETEC's task is to ensure sustainable development and the provision of basic public services in the interests of society, the environment and the economy. Located at the heart of Europe, Switzerland is dependent on modern transport infrastructure and efficient communications and electricity networks. This infrastructure is an important prerequisite for the country's cohesion and for exchanges with other countries and economic prosperity. The foundations for the decisions taken by the Department are prepared in seven offices, one of which is the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE).

The Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) is the office responsible for all questions relating to energy supply and energy use within the Federal Department of the Environment,Transport, Energy and Communication (DETEC) of Switzerland. The SFOE pursues the following objectives: 

• It creates the necessary conditions for ensuring a sufficient, well diversified and secure energy supply that is both economical and ecologically sustainable
•  It imposes high safety standards in the areas of production, transportation and distribution of energy
• It sets out to promote efficient energy use, increase the proportion of renewable energy in the overall energy mix and reduce the level of CO₂ emissions
• It promotes and co-ordinates energy research and supports the development of new markets for the sustainable supply and use of energy
  

The Swiss Federal Office of Energy is the principal Swiss funding agency for geothermal research, development and deployment. There exist recurring 4-year RD&D plans for geothermal energy within the Master Plan For Federal Energy Research. In particular, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy is the only federal institution of Switzerland that funds pilot and demonstration projects in the field of geothermal energy. 

Lead Person

_{Mr. Gunter Siddiqi of the SFOE is the deputy section head – energy research, and responsible for the research domains geothermal energy, gas turbines and carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). He received a Bachelor's degree in geology from Imperial College, London (England) and a Sc.D. degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge (USA) in geophysics.Subsequently he worked in various research and development projects of Shell International,such as Enhanced Geothermal Systems in El Salvador and in-situ upgrading of extra heavy oil deposits in Western Canada. He joined the Swiss Federal Office of Energy in June 2008.}