In 1913, the Municipality of St. Moritz took over a private electric lighting company and created the Elektrizitätswerk (Electricity Works) (EW) St. Moritz, which today produces electricity for St. Moritz and Celerina under the name St. Moritz Energy. However, the history of electric light began 35 years before that: in 1878, the Samedan hotel pioneer Johannes Badrutt installed Switzerland’s first electricity system above his Kulm Hotel in St. Moritz and caused quite a sensation with the hotel’s festively lit Belle Epoque halls.
The first electric light in Switzerland shone not in Zürich, nor in Bern or in Geneva – but here in St. Moritz.
This shows the openness to the world and the pioneering spirit that prevailed in the Upper Engadine spa town in the latter half of the 19th century.
Milestones from 1878 until today
Hotel pioneer Johannes Badrutt is impressed by an electric lighting system at the Paris World Exhibition. He is so fascinated by it that he starts to operate a small water turbine that same year in St. Moritz. Some electric carbon arc lamps illuminate the dining room of the Kulm Hotel as early as 18th July 1879.
Tourists start to get used to the advantages of electricity. To secure electricity supply in winter too, Johannes Badrutt decides to use the running water of the River Inn. To do this, he builds a new powerplant at the outlet of the Inn gorge.
Caspar Badrutt, the son of Johannes Badrutt, and Alfred Robbi, the municipality president of St. Moritz at the time, form the “Aktiengesellschaft für elektrische Beleuchtung” (“Electric Lighting Share Company”). Immediately following the award of the concession, construction of another centre begins in the Inn gorge above the Kulm Works.
The Municipality of St. Moritz decides to build an electric tram between St. Moritz Dorf and St. Moritz Bad. The tram line is 1,700 metres long, has a maximum incline of 66.2 per mile and is supplied with direct current from the upper Charnadüra works.
Following expiry of the concession contract with the municipality of St. Moritz, the municipality exercises its right of re-purchase in 1913 and acquires all the electricity plants of the Aktiengesellschaft für elektrische Beleuchtung. On 1st April 1913, the municipality forms Elektrizitätswerk St. Moritz as an auxiliary business – a form of organisation that exists to this day.
Elektrizitätswerk St. Moritz constructs the new Islas power station, with the concession awarded for a 60-year duration. The centre replaces the two existing plants in the Charnadüra gorge.
Construction work for water storage in the Sils and Silvaplana Lakes increases winter production in 1947/48 from the previous 80,000 kWh to between 400,000 and 450 000 kWh.
In response to the increasing energy consumption, Elektrizitätswerk St. Moritz builds the new Islas substation. It begins operating in 1962, reducing the requirement for energy from elsewhere.
The keys to the new administration building, built directly on the works yard at Punt da Piz, are handed over on 2nd November. Finally, the whole operation is housed under one roof.
After around two years of preparation, the new network control centre is opened on 29th February, 1992. This makes it possible to monitor even remote stations around the clock and intervene remotely if necessary.
Elektrizitätswerk St. Moritz extends its supply area and takes over all of the Graubünden power stations located on St. Moritz territory.
The Islas power plant is renovated with the latest state-of-the-art equipment. Three Francis turbines increase annual production and cover around 20 percent of electricity consumption in St. Moritz and Celerina.
Elektrizitätswerk St. Moritz changes its name to St. Moritz Energie. The new company logo underlines its position in the market and its regional anchoring.
St. Moritz Energie builds the new Energy Network St. Moritz Bad. Individual buildings including the new OVAVERVA Pool, Spa & Sports Centre are connected to the district heat network. Heat from St. Moritz Lake and waste heat from the Ludains Ice Arena serve as energy sources.
In 2016, St. Moritz Energie builds two new residential floors with eleven apartments and makes parts of the administration offices more attractive and customer-friendly. The solar modules installed vertically on the roof of the company’s own residential building produce electricity from both the front and back of the solar cells. This is one of the first bi-phase solar plants in Switzerland.
The new Islas substation is of key importance for the security of the local electricity supply. 55 years after its construction and after more than a year of work, the new facility has been back in operation since 26th November 2018.
St. Moritz Energie and Swisscom are building a regional fibre-optic infrastructure (FTTH, Fibre To The Home) for telecommunications services, to connect around 9,200 user units (homes, shops, businesses, etc.) in St. Moritz and Celerina to a universal fibre-optic network.