In spring 2023, the Adliswil municipal council (town parliament) submitted a motion asking the town council to clarify the potential for hydropower in Adliswil (to accelerate the achievement of climate targets of the municipality). The analysis did comprise small tributaries in the municipal area as well as options on the Sihl river, especially at the two existing transverse structures. The longitudinal conductivity and thus the ecological condition of the watercourse could be significantly improved by a hydropower plant and the associated obligation to build a fish passage.

CSD Ingenieure, on behalf of the Town of Adliswil

Based on a new situation due to abandonment of the popular initiative and the approval of the Swiss Electricity Act, the association SSH is discussing the topic of the association’s future resilience and how a new budget target of CHF 500,000 can be achieved (marketing/advertising, develop new services and improve/expand old ones etc.). Ideas are discussed like “development of an electricity marketing for members / balancing energy market”, “Investment advice” (mediation between projects and investors) without competing with member services and in compliance with the articles of association.

Swiss Small Hydro SSH

Subject to this evaluation is the “Transformation of the Construction Sector to Promote Energy Efficiency in Buildings in Pakistan” (3 million Euro, Oct 2022 – June 2025). Pakistan is the country with the highest urbanisation rate in Asia. In 2020, 37% of the 220 million inhabitants lived in urban centres. This development is associated with a significant increase in demand for new living space, particularly in cities and urban centres. The project supports the Pakistani Government and the private sector in initiating a turnaround in the construction sector towards a resource-friendly future of the building sector. The project aims at 1) Political, legal and regulatory documents containing a draft of aspects relating to making the construction sector sustainable, 2) access to evidence-based data / information on sustainable construction of new buildings for political and private-sector stakeholders and 3) measures with dissemination potential to implement a transformation of the construction sector.

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Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

The aim of the project is to plan and design pilot housing estates for decent, affordable multi-storey housing, and to plan, design and build a pilot brickworks for the production of fired bricks to be used in the construction of the housing estates. The consultancy team draws on its experience gained from projects to develop the supply of decent affordable housing and the production of construction materials in East Africa, while ensuring that it is adapted to the Togolese context and to the needs expressed by the Client. 

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Government of Togo

SECO in recent years made a strategic shift to end direct infrastructure financing except for innovative pilot projects, and to focus on technical assistance and institutional and capacity development to make best use of its grant funding modality. The additional the massive drop of variable RE (VRE) generation costs and the focus on VRE integration as key for energy transition have led SECO to refocus its support and start the development of new bilateral projects on smart grid and smart metering. SECO mandated the Consortium of Skat Consulting Ltd. and Energynautics GmbH for professional support for this shift.

State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO

Energynautics GmbH

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC) are cooperating with the Government of Moldova to support the population in rural areas and small towns. Skat was mandated to implement the Swiss and Austrian support, the Water and Sanitation Project ApaSan for improving the life conditions of people living in villages by improving their access to water and sanitation services that are sustainable and of good quality. ApaSan supported Moldovan institutions at all levels so that they are able to respond to the needs for water supply and sanitation services of the rural population, including the most vulnerable. In the final phase, the project aimed at empowering and strengthening the capacities by transferring know-how on rural water supply and sanitation generated in previous phases to Moldovan institutions, and to institutionalise functions that ApaSan has fulfilled so far in the implementation of sustainable water and sanitation projects, so that these institutions are able to improve their performance in responding to the needs of the rural population for water supply and sanitation services. Community mobilization, public awareness raising and communication on water scarcity, water use, sanitation and hygiene, tailored to enhance citizen participation were a central part of the approach.

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)

By upgrading building emission standards, supporting demonstration buildings and enhancing capacities of professionals with Switzerland’s leading know-how on sustainable construction, the project supports the decarbonization of China’s building sector, which is the biggest in the world.

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)

Intep as project implementing partner, Swiss Green Buildings Association (SGB), China Academy of Building Research (CABR/CABEE), empa , HSLU, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of China

Subject of the assignment was the implementation of a project design mission, as well as the preparation of all project documents for the regional GIZ Project “Reframing perspective to strengthen the socio-political participation and collective agency of Palestinian refugees in the MENA-Region”. The project, commissioned by BMZ, has a budget of EUR 9 million and will run from 10/2025 to 09/2028 and will be implemented in Jordan, Libanon, Palestinian Territories (Westbank and Gaza), Syria.

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

Switzerland’s commitment to better and more equitable decentralised basic WASH services in Mozambique started in 1982 with its support for a water supply project in the province of Cabo Delgado. Over the following three decades, the focus of the intervention was on improving drinking water supply and storage across the province, and on assisting the National Water Directorate in training water technicians. Since 2019, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) supported several large-scale, long-term WASH-related programmes in the three northern provinces with a total investment of around CHF 90 million. Furthermore, from 2019, Swiss Humanitarian Aid (SHA) has responded to different WASH emergencies caused by the conflict in Northern Mozambique, cholera pandemic, and various cyclones. The placement of a humanitarian coordinator also led to launching various longer-term water-related measures in response and preparedness to such recurring hazards. Given that the remaining WASH-related programmes will end mid-2026 with likely mixed results, and given the ongoing design phase of the new Swiss Cooperation Programme 2026-29, a CapEx aimed to take stock of past experiences and highlight possible future strategic directions.

SDC – Embassy of Switzerland in Mozambique

Subject to this evaluation is the “Support for Morocco's energy policy (PAPEM III)” (4 million Euro, Jan 2020 – Dec 2024). Morocco’s ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions as well as the national targets regarding renewables require a legal and regulatory framework which allows for a far-sighted energy planning and for the involvement of the private sector. Therefore, the project mainly targets the institutional, technical and organisational capacity strengthening of the national electricity regulator agency (ANRE), the improvement of energy planning and climate reporting as well as the improvement of the legal framework for private investment in decentralised electricity generation through renewables.

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)