"We have power-up problems and are still in the process of repairing the equipment," said Dr Bernhard Knopp on Monday morning. The team had to put his patients off until another appointment. Knopp was able to understand the connection between power failure and equipment faults when he reviewed the logs.

"We had a power failure of about four hours," said the specialist. In the meantime, the MRI machine could be started up, but the table could not yet be moved. Knopp regularly experiences short power cuts in Bad Godesberg. However, there has not yet been a comparable equipment failure as at the weekend. "This is not only a problem for us. We are a high-tech location," Knopp wonders. The technical problems at the Radiological Institute should be solved by Tuesday morning at the latest, says the doctor.

The power failure was triggered by a technical defect on Saturday morning. According to Bonn-Netz GmbH, about 7000 households in parts of Friesdorf and the Bad Godesberg city centre were without electricity. A short circuit initially occurred at a transformer station in Friesdorf. The circuit breaker used as protection then tripped and disconnected two cable lines in Bad Godesberg and Friesdorf from the grid.

Seventeen local network stations and six consumer stations were affected. The technical defect also affected the drinking water system on Annaberger Straße. Two crews were deployed to repair the lines, according to Bonn-Netz GmbH. Gradually, the streets could be supplied with electricity again. Around 12 noon, Friesdorf was fully connected to the power grid again. About an hour later, the fault in Bad Godesberg's city centre was also completely repaired.

This also affected traffic lights, which failed for several hours. "In the case of power failures, signal systems also switch off, and the StVO signage that is always present at every signalised intersection or junction applies," says Lea Hoffmann from the city's press office. Once the power supply is restored, the devices switch themselves back on, says Hoffmann.

"We have not received any special reports about the power failure," says Telekom spokesman Peter Kespohl on request. After the power failure, however, routers and telephones should start up again without any problems and log into the network. "If the router still hangs, customers can contact our service hotline," says Kespohl.

The Stadtwerke state: "We posted information online at an early stage and informed the media about the power outage. That's why the news, including the cause, spread quickly."

Also affected by the power cut was the fish shop Stuch at Theaterplatz. From 9.50 a.m. to 12.30 p.m., not only the lights went out. "Our cash register systems don't work without electricity. We were unable to act during this period and could not serve the customers," says branch manager Timo Scholz. This resulted in a considerable drop in sales before the holiday. "We then sent the customers to the sales trolley at the weekly market. This allowed us to cushion the losses somewhat," says Scholz. Because the electricity apparently continued to flow at the weekly market. "The outages were probably sporadic." The rows of shops up to the Fronhof Galeria and also the Rewe market at Michaelshof were affected. The Fisch Stuch employees were able to save their goods with lots of ice. And yet: "I have never experienced such a power failure here," says Scholz.

The Frohnhof Galeria was not affected by the power failure, says Peter Otting. "It didn't affect business at all," says the owner's representative. This is because in the event of a power failure, the emergency power supply in the shopping centre kicks in. Escalators continue to run and shops have light. "The building services have noticed the failure, but we have not received any reports from the shops," says Otting.

The Waldkrankenhaus in Bad Godesberg has triple protection. The hospital is connected to two power networks, says the technical manager, Frank Eichner: "to Bad Godesberg and via Annerberger Hof". If one network fails, the hospital falls back on the other. "If both networks fail, our emergency generators come on, which allow us to keep all vital things running," Eichner says. He adds that the emergency supply is regularly tested by the technical staff. "We can't find any verifiable interruptions there," Eichner says.

If the power fails in your home, it is important to stay calm, explains master electrician Thomas Schulte. "Actually, you don't normally need to do anything." This is because refrigerators and freezers can maintain their temperature for over twelve hours. "People don't need to worry," says the owner of Elektro Schulte. In general, you only have to reset the clock on electronic appliances such as the oven. Nothing usually happens to the fuse box in the event of a power failure either, says the expert. Tenants and owners can prevent a power failure by installing a balcony power plant - if the sun is shining at the same time as the power failure.

Original text: Niklas Schröder

Translation: Mareike Graepel