A modernized electric network for the future needs of Hamburg

Among the ``city-states'' in the Federal Republic of Germany, the plight of Hamburg-with respect to its electrical needs-is, if not typical, then representative of conditions that exist in other cities in the republic. To meet the growing electric needs of the populace, a Hamburg electric utility has devised a system that will take full advantage of existing services incorporated into a new ``broader backbone.'' Plans call for sufficient redundancy to permit operation at all levels with a minimum of downtime. At no time will interruption last more than one hour; most often it will amount to only minutes or seconds. As the need arises, the system will grow and grow-hopefully not outstripping its potential until the turn of the century.