Our history Over 100 years of Axpo

Axpo and Switzerland have a long-standing success story. Axpo's roots go back to the beginnings of electrification in Switzerland over 100 years ago. Since then, the company has grown steadily and is now the largest power supplier in Switzerland.

First power plant network in Switzerland

The year of birth of today's Axpo is also the year in which the first power plant network in Switzerland was created: in 1908, the then Motor AG connected its hydroelectric power plant in Beznau (AG) with the storage power plant on the Löntsch (GL) by a 100-kilometer-long 27-kilometer Kilovolt line. Motor AG spun off the two power plants into the subsidiary Kraftwerke Beznau-Löntsch AG in the same year.

To the story "Unassuming but essential"

Power supply as a public service

Secure electricity supply gained importance early on and with this the political pressure increased to transfer it from private to public ownership. In 1914, the cantons of Aargau, Glarus, Zurich, Thurgau, Schaffhausen and Zug came together to found Nordostschweizerische Kraftwerke AG, or NOK for short, and took over Kraftwerke Beznau-Löntsch AG. Schaffhausen and Appenzell Innerrhoden followed later. NOK completed its first hydroelectric power station near Eglisau am Rhein in 1920.

Birth of the European power grid

Power is a networked and cross-border business. The so-called “Laufenburg star” was born as early as 1958: the power grids of Switzerland, Germany and France were interconnected for the first time, thereby increasing security of supply in the countries involved. Leading the charge was the Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft Laufenburg AG GL, which was integrated into Axpo in 2012.

First nuclear power plant in Switzerland

Beznau 1, Switzerland's first nuclear power plant, began operation in 1969, followed by Beznau 2 in 1971. The Beznau nuclear power plant consists of two identical blocks with pressurized water reactors, each with an electrical output of 365 MW. Since it began commercial operation, the Beznau nuclear power plant has fed more than 275,000 GWh into the Swiss electricity grid in over 400,000 operating hours.

The giant battery in the Alps

Pumped storage power plants work like large batteries that store electricity in the form of water. One of the largest of its kind began operations in the Glarus Alps in 2016: The Axpo Limmern pumped storage plant has an output of 1000 MW - together with the Linth-Limmern power plants, this results in a total output of over 1500 MW. In terms of output, this roughly corresponds to the Leibstadt nuclear power plant.

The largest alpine solar plant in Switzerland

Together with IWB, Axpo has realized the largest alpine solar system in Switzerland at 2,500 meters above sea level. The system has been fully operational since the end of August 2022. The pioneering AlpinSolar project produces 3.3 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year - half of it in winter. This means we use solar energy at any time of the year and despite the sea of fog.

The fascinating journey continues

Over 100 years of successful company history show one thing: a pioneering spirit is part of Axpo's DNA. It's no different today, quite the opposite. The energy world in particular is characterized by dynamic processes and sometimes disruptive changes. With a clear strategy and innovative energy solutions, Axpo is tackling the challenges of today and tomorrow.

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