The installation of eight wind turbines in the South Eoljorat park materializes. The project, carried out by the city of Lausanne, obtained the building permit from the canton of Vaud. “Following the public inquiry from June 11 to July 11, 2024, all the oppositions were lifted and the building permit was officially issued on August 18, 2025,” the city of Lausanne announced Wednesday in a press release.
Appeals remain possible, however, in the cantonal court. As these appeals are “very likely”, “best planning” for the construction of the park is today estimated at 2028, estimate the Lausanne authorities.
They nevertheless recall that the project benefits from the federal law on the acceleration of procedures for wind farms (called “Windexpress”) which does not open the door to a new appeal to the Federal Court, and therefore will accelerate legal proceedings.
Feed 25,000 households
Launched in 2007, Eoljorat Sud has already taken many stages, including the adoption of the partial assignment plan in 2015 and validation by the Federal Court in 2022.
With its eight wind turbines located in the woods of the Jorat, on land belonging to the city of Lausanne, Eoljorat Sud must produce around 55 GWh per year. This corresponds to the annual electricity consumption of around 25,000 Lausanne households.
This project is carried out and operated by Si-Ren SA, a company created in 2009 by the City of Lausanne. Its designers say that the park has been designed to limit its impact on the landscape and biodiversity. In particular, it includes specific measures to protect birds, bats and forests.
A single wind farm in the canton of Vaud for the moment
“With Eoljorat Sud, we strengthen our commitment to local and renewable production,” says Xavier Company, municipal from Lausanne in charge of the city’s industrial services (SIL), quoted in the press release. He notes that obtaining the building permit “marks a decisive turning point for the energy transition of our region.”
For the moment, Vaud shelters only one wind farm, that of Sainte-Croix. Another, that of Sur Grati, is under construction between Vallorbe and Romainmôtier. Several other parks are in procedure on Vaudois territory, where the country’s greatest wind potential is located.
