An electricity grid substation on the outskirts of Berlin, Germany. Getty
An electricity grid substation on the outskirts of Berlin, Germany. Getty
An electricity grid substation on the outskirts of Berlin, Germany. Getty
An electricity grid substation on the outskirts of Berlin, Germany. Getty

German grid issues red alert asking customers to save power


Soraya Ebrahimi
  • English
  • Arabic

A regional grid operator in Germany asked users to reduce demand for an hour after requesting imports from Switzerland to help balance its network.

TransnetBW posted a red alert on its app asking consumers to save electricity starting at 2pm local time.

That does not mean that power cuts are to be expected or that the grid is unstable, said Claudia Halici, a spokeswoman for TransnetBW.

“But it does signal that TransnetBW must do more than usual to keep the power grid stable,” Ms Halici said.

Cold weather, low wind and France’s struggles to boost its nuclear power capacity are putting pressure on Germany’s energy systems after Russia cut gas supplies.

Even though gas storage sites are almost full, the network will be tested as cold weather sets in, with southern regions facing extra stress caused by lower renewable-energy capacity.

Green energy sources - in pictures

TransnetBW’s request for more than 700 megawatts from Switzerland was necessary because some reserve power plants in its area were not available.

But electricity exports were not affected, the utility said.

The regional grid operator decided to ask customers to save energy so it would not have to power up fossil-fuel plants, a move that is not only costly but also contributes to already high pollution.

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

Red flags
  • Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
  • Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
  • Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
  • Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
  • Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.

Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

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Key findings of Jenkins report
  • Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
  • Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
  • Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
  • Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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Dubai, 3.30pm
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Abu Dhabi, 3.30pm
Bangladesh v Afghanistan

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AndhaDhun

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Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18

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Updated: December 08, 2022, 12:33 AM`