Predicted lack of electricity – In an emergency, school children in Jonschwil have to freeze – News


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How can electricity be saved in an emergency? The St. Gallen municipality of Jonschwil has stepped on the gas in preparation for a power shortage.

Freezing school children, locked clubs or dim street lighting at night – these are all possible scenarios when the power shortage gets serious. In December 2021, the federal government commissioned large consumers such as municipalities, cities or companies to come up with ideas and thoughts on how electricity can be saved in an emergency.

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“You, I han chalt.” If there is a power shortage, electricity could also be saved in classrooms.

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The St. Gallen municipality of Jonschwil quickly tackled this task and worked out and published possible measures. And it’s about possibly freezing school children. “Measures hurt,” is the headline in Jonschwil’s “GemeindeAktuell”. If there is a power shortage, the village wants to proceed as follows:

  • Because some of the school facilities are heated with geothermal probes, electricity could be saved there by means of a general temperature reduction.
  • In the winter months, all school facilities could be closed after school, which would affect club and village life.
  • In terms of street lighting, greater dimming or limiting lighting to important intersections could save electricity.
  • Shutting down the sewage treatment plant overnight in the winter months would also be a measure.

Incalculable influence of the Ukraine war

These measures can be very drastic. However, Jonschwil mayor Stefan Frei says: “We can ask people: Would you rather have no electricity at home in the evening, or in a public building, such as a gymnasium or a concert hall? People then start to think about what is more important.”

The power shortage could now come much faster.

A power shortage is no longer considered unrealistic, especially because of the war in Ukraine. “I would have said before that a power shortage is possible in 2025,” says Frei. Reasons for this are, for example, the changes in traffic, away from fossil fuels towards e-cars, as well as increased requests for heating systems to be switched from oil or gas to heat pumps. “The shortage could now come much faster.”

More options in urban areas

The federal government’s specifications are drastic: In an emergency, power consumption should be reduced by 20 percent. “Otherwise there is even a threat of fines,” says Peter Stäger from the St. Galler Stadtwerke, who is a representative of an energy supplier in the Ostral crisis organization.

What does the «Ostral» do?


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“Ostral” stands for Organization for Power Supply in Extraordinary Situations. It was brought into being by the Association of Swiss Electricity Companies (VSE) because, according to the federal government’s most recent risk analysis, the shortage of electricity is one of the greatest dangers for Switzerland over a longer period of time.

Now, last December, work began on writing to large consumers and they were instructed to plan measures to ensure that the electricity supply was maintained at a reduced level.

The “Ostral” is now preparing for a so-called power shortage in Switzerland, because this would have serious consequences.

The measures taken by Jonschwil have been considered, according to Stäger. Things are different in the city of St. Gallen, where he is involved: “St. Gallen has not made any publications so far, it is only in the planning stage.” In Jonschwil one is already far.

In urban areas, the possibilities for reducing electricity consumption are similar to those in more rural regions. But there are also other options there – for example, bus lines could be canceled or thinned out.

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