Negotiating the Swiss waterscape: National discourse and local power structures (1945–1970)

This article explores the transformative trajectory of Swiss hydropower from 1945 to 1970, a period marked by rapid expansion, technocratic ambition and socio-environmental tensions. It investigates how hydropower development redefined Switzerland’s Alpine waterscape, while probing whether the notion of an impending decline in hydropower was overstated or whether postwar Switzerland indeed continued to function as a veritable ‘Eldorado’ for engineers, construction firms and energy consortia well into the 1970s. Anchored in the concepts of ‘public technologies’ and ‘waterscapes’, this research examines the intersection of national discourses on technological progress, local power structures and environmental impacts. It highlights how energy companies navigated these complexities, leveraging locational factors and sociopolitical contexts to advance their projects. The findings provide critical insights into the interplay between centralised hydrotechnical imaginaries and localised interests, offering broader implications for understanding resource exploitation and development in a federal governance system like Switzerland.