**Switzerland’s total installed electricity capacity is about **28,900 MW (28.9 GW)**, and since hydropower accounts for roughly **50% of Swiss electricity generation**, the hydropower plants together produce around **14,500 MW (14.5 GW)** of output.** [statbase.org](https://statbase.org/data/che-electricity-installed-capacity/) [worldpowermonitor.com](https://worldpowermonitor.com/zones/ch/)
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## ⚡ Switzerland’s Power Capacity Overview
- **Total installed capacity (2024):** ~28.9 GW (28,895 MW)
- **Hydropower share:** ~50% of electricity generation
- **Hydropower output:** ~14.5 GW (14,500 MW)
- **Other sources:** Nuclear (~35–40%), solar (~10–15%), wind (<1%)
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## 📊 Breakdown of Swiss Electricity Mix
| Source | Share of Generation | Approx. Capacity (MW) |
|---------------|---------------------|-----------------------|
| **Hydropower** | ~50% | ~14,500 MW |
| Nuclear | ~35–40% | ~10,000–11,000 MW |
| Solar | ~10–15% | ~3,000–4,000 MW |
| Wind | <1% | <300 MW |
| Other (biomass, imports, etc.) | Small fraction | <500 MW |
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## 🌍 Context & Importance
- **Hydropower dominance:** Switzerland’s mountainous terrain and abundant rivers make hydropower the backbone of its energy system.
- **Seasonal variation:** Hydropower output fluctuates with snowmelt and rainfall, peaking in spring/summer.
- **Grid stability:** Hydropower provides flexible balancing power, especially important as solar and wind expand.
- **Exports:** Switzerland often exports surplus hydropower to neighboring countries during peak production.
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## ⚠️ Key Considerations
- **Climate change impact:** Reduced snowpack and glacier retreat may lower long-term hydropower potential.
- **Energy transition:** Switzerland is phasing out nuclear power gradually, which will increase reliance on hydropower and renewables.
- **Storage role:** Pumped-storage hydropower plants are critical for storing excess solar/wind energy and stabilizing the grid.
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✅ **Summary:** Switzerland’s hydropower plants collectively generate about **14.5 GW**, making them the single largest contributor to the country’s electricity supply. This represents half of Switzerland’s total installed capacity of ~28.9 GW.
Would you like me to also break down **the largest individual Swiss hydropower plants** (like Grande Dixence, Linth-Limmern, etc.) and their MW outputs? That way you’ll see how the 14.5 GW is distributed across major dams.
