Situational picture of security of supply: Companies reviewing their backup power practices

The possibility of blackouts requires extensive preparedness from society as a whole this upcoming winter. In recognition of this, companies are now reviewing their backup power solutions.

Forming a common situational picture is key with regard to decision-making during crises and disruptions. The National Emergency Supply Agency (NESA) maintains an overall picture of security of supply to support the decision-making of the private sector and the Finnish government.

The situational picture report includes an overview of different industries’ ability to function and the challenges they may face. The overall picture formed together with the National Emergency Supply Organisation (NESO) examines the challenges in the operating environment from several perspectives.

The situational picture of security of supply has now been kept up to date for approximately two and a half years. A new situational picture is published every other week.

Situational picture on 21 October: Avoiding peak electricity demand helps

The possibility of blackouts this autumn and winter calls for comprehensive, society-wide preparedness. In recognition of this, companies are currently reviewing their plans regarding backup power sources and alternative operating methods. The potential power supply interruptions may end up hindering the operations of companies critical to security of supply. However, preparedness can be facilitated by announcing the time and duration of blackouts in advance.

Conserving energy and shifting operations away from typical peak hours seem to go some way towards alleviating the difficult situation. These and other electricity conservation efforts should be continued past the upcoming winter season.

Citizens continue to show a great deal of interest in self-preparedness. For example, the number of cash withdrawals has in some places risen by approximately 25% compared to the five-week average. This increased demand has not impacted the functioning of cash handling, however.

The central government and critical infrastructure companies are currently being subjected to a higher-than-average number of cyber attacks. The attacker may be testing the functioning of the filtering measures and resilience of different services.

The situation regarding healthcare waiting times remains quite poor, with the number of patients who have had to wait past the treatment time guarantee being at a record high. The COVID-19 situation in Finland has also continued to worsen, although the number of patients requiring intensive care has remained low.

The National Emergency Supply Agency releases a brief summary of the situational picture report. The details concerning industries are classified and are therefore not made public.