Switzerland warns big companies they may have to cut power use

Switzerland will warn major industrial users they could be forced to save electricity this winter in a bid to avoid large-scale blackouts, NZZ am Sonntag reported.

About 30,000 companies that each consume more than 100,000 kilowatt hours per year are being sent a letter from Ostral, the crisis-management organization for the sector.

They could be asked to reduce consumption by 10% to 30% in the event of a shortage, the newspaper said. “All major consumers are obliged to save a certain amount of electricity,” Ostral says in the brochure that's to be distributed by the end of November.


Consumers and facilities such as swimming pools would be required to consume less electricity before industrial users have to, the newspaper said.

The warning comes amid a global energy shock caused by lower-than-usual natural gas stockpiles. China has endured blackouts and forced facilities to shutter or scale back while prices for gas and power in the UK and Europe soar ahead of winter.