ProjectsSousbach hydropower plant: electricity from the Lauterbrunnen Valley for 6,700 households
Energy ProductionWaterEnergy infrastructure
Sousbach hydropower plant: electricity from the Lauterbrunnen Valley for 6,700 households
For a secure long-term regional electricity supply, BKW uses the hydropower of the Sousbach in the Lauterbrunnen Valley. The power plant, with an output of 11.4 MW, produces around 30.6 GWh of electricity each year – enough to meet the annual needs of around 6,700 households.
At a glance
Project facts
Project locationLauterbrunnen Valley, Bernese Oberland, SwitzerlandProject statusin operationProject typenew construction and operationConstruction period2019–2025Commissioning2025Technology areaHydropowerTotal installed capacity:11.4 MWExpected annual production around 30.6 GWh Turbine type Pelton turbineGross head917 mHeadrace2,980 mOperatorBKWBKW shareholding100%
Key figures
installed capacityannual productionhouseholds supplied arithmeticallylong headwater supply conduitconstruction period
From the project idea to the use of hydropowerThe idea of using the hydropower of the Sousbach in the Lauterbrunnen Valley for regional electricity production dates back to 2008. Extensive planning and approval procedures were required before this idea became a feasible power plant project. The location in alpine terrain placed particular demands on the project. What was therefore needed was a solution that took account of the technical and geological conditions of the site as well as the requirements for protecting the surrounding environment. A long-term approach was required from the initial project idea through to implementation.Three kilometres through the mountainVarious sites for the water intake and different routes for the headrace were already examined during the feasibility study. The decision ultimately fell on a technically demanding solution: the water is conveyed entirely within the mountain from the intake to the powerhouse through a system of tunnels and shafts just under three kilometres long. There were two key reasons for choosing this route. On the one hand, an above-ground pipeline route would have posed geological risks due to possible landslides. On the other hand, trenching and pipe-laying work on the surface would have meant interventions in the partially protected flora and fauna. The underground solution therefore takes account of both the geological conditions and the requirements for protecting the surrounding environment. In addition, monitoring, replacement and enhancement measures, among others, were defined together with the cantonal specialist authorities in a two-stage environmental impact assessment process.
From mountain stream to turbineAfter many years of project development, construction work on the Sousbach hydropower plant began in 2019. Tunnels and shafts were built for the underground headrace system, carrying the captured water to the power station located further downstream. There, the water drives a Pelton turbine. With a gross head of 917 metres, the power plant achieves an installed capacity of 11.4 MW. After around six years of construction, the hydropower plant was completed in 2025.
30.6 GWh for the regional electricity supplyWith the Sousbach hydropower plant, BKW produces around 30.6 GWh of electricity from domestic hydropower every year. This is equivalent, in purely arithmetical terms, to the annual consumption of around 6,700 four-person households. In this way, the hydropower potential of the Sousbach is being used for regional electricity production over the long term. Sousbach also shows how a hydropower project can be implemented under challenging topographical and ecological conditions. After a long project development phase, a production facility designed for long-term operation has been created in the Lauterbrunnen Valley.

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