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SA not alone in load shedding

The Hague - South Africans who are angry about load shedding in their country may find some - perhaps false - solace in the knowledge that they may not be the only ones to suffer. In Belgium a similar situation threatens.

According to reports in Belgian newspapers, the Belgian government has announced it is working on a ban on Christmas lighting at times when power generation shortages are imminent. Street lights, neon advertisements and shop window lights may also have to be turned off.

The reason for this announcement, which has elicited much negative feedback from the public, is that three of the country’s seven nuclear power stations have been closed down due to what is termed “unforeseen circumstances”. What these “unforeseen circumstances” were has not been communicated, and critics have immediately jumped on what they see as “amateurish communication” by the government.

In fact, most of what is known has been ferreted out by the media.

According to the government, residents may be asked to use less electricity between 17:00 and 20:00 at night. As dusk is rather early in the northern European winter, this means people will have to forgo traditional Christmas lighting during peak hours. The government calls this “non-functional” power usage.

The Belgian coalition government has been in power for less than two months, having been sworn in only on October 11 after months of wrangling following the federal elections of May 26. Belgians are not impressed with what many see as early bungling by a government clearly trying to find its feet.
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